


Trip And Fall On Me

by FluffyPieCake



Category: One Direction (Band), Zayn Malik (Musician)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, M/M, Motorcycle Racing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-28
Updated: 2017-10-11
Packaged: 2018-12-08 04:50:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 38,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11639271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FluffyPieCake/pseuds/FluffyPieCake
Summary: You don't do what you're told. Bend and break, bend and break.





	1. Zero

**Author's Note:**

> **I’m back again! My first time writing about A/B/O Dynamics.**
> 
>  
> 
> **Tell me what you think here or on[Tumblr](http://fluffypiecake.tumblr.com), I'm always happy to read your thoughts. Enjoy!**

 

The track is crowded, but no race, not yet.

It's a night-before, a sort of festival, a party. Ed would tell him to mingle, get to know his opponents, see if anyone is willing to show off enough to display a weakness or a tactic he can adjust and use as his own or probably avoid close-interaction. Get to know other teams in general, if there's someone friendly to hang out with later or simply a professional member he can gather info from. It's all about that, people drinking and gambling on whoever is going to win the next week's race, nothing too confident nor too frightened, just for the joy of it.

The seats are mostly for those who're cheering, or conversing quietly, wanting to have some private time. There are girls talking sweetly to competitors, those who had a special entry for knowing someone else around. Bras on display, crop tops, short shorts, tanned smooth skin, skinny bodies or too curvy, and too much make-up that will be ruined later, he knows that much, because whoever is turning their engine will try his best to land one of them, see who's getting the hottest in his bed tonight, who's getting a full group to cheer for him, and who's getting the biggest number at the end of the night. Not his piece of cake though.

"Might want to join in, mate!" Niall shouts from his side, the music blasting from each corner isn't that loud, not reaching them at all, a simple melody in the background that he can hear Niall clearly without shouting but as he turns his head towards his friend he sees him a bit tipsy, two girls laughing behind him as he raises his beer can, an amused smile on his lips. _Of course_ , he's not the one who's spending the whole week training. Almost his entire life if he's being accurate.

Faint smell coming from the girls behind Niall indicates they're omegas. _Sluts_. Who is letting them out alone? He doesn't want to judge them based on their classification nor whatever reason they're here for, but they didn't show up for anything else, he knows that part very well. Betas like Niall can at least roam freely without someone poking at their backs.

"Think I'm good down here" He replies with a nod, a small smile playing on his lips as Niall shrugs and walks away with the girls. He turns his head again towards the open field, leaning back on the wall as he watches a new group entering, perhaps the last to arrive since it's after midnight. The group splits and only two remain.

There's a guy slightly taller than the other, more built, saying something to the other guy that he can't possibly here from his position while the latter seems bored but his eyes are sharp, cautious posture yet relaxed at the same time, hands in his jacket pockets as his eyes roam all over the place. He says something back to the taller guy making the latter frown, pout, probably pleading him for something. He shakes his head at the two, pushing himself off the wall once he takes the last sip of his drink. _Not getting drunk for tonight_ , Ed would kill him if he did.

He's not even a few minutes in and he already hears someone shouting. "For fuck's sake, dude!" And another, "Back off before I cut off your balls!" Out of curiously, he turns to see the same people he saw earlier, those last arrivers, shoving at another group until some third party splits them up. "Pray I won't come for your ass later!" Again, another shout and he averts his gaze towards the two from the same group, standing away like it wasn't their team who's involved. He doesn't say anything, doesn't make assumptions, and turns to leave.

"That yours?" Someone asks from his side and he glances to see a green bike. _No_ , he didn’t actually bring his tonight, just Niall's car to get home with later. It's a nice one though.

"No" He turns to his side, familiar figure stands in front of him, friendly brown eyes and short brown hair styled into a quiff. The person nods, eyes fixed on the bike before they return to him.

"Liam" Another voice calls, quiet but stern, a bit deep with an accent, a warning tone causing the said 'Liam' to turn around. He doesn't say much, not another word as their eyes meet, something dominating in them, he's another competitor, he is sure of it, another Alpha joining the race, because no other class joins really, omegas are too weak and betas are usually used as team members, managers, judges, mechanics, or whatever other job there is. They call it protection, but omegas can actually get some jobs done from his opinion, had met a few that are capable of so much more if given a chance. He reasons that this is not their field after all, some were taken down too easily from the beginning, and they're not really stopping anyone from entering if it wasn’t for the public opinion. A bit of a fucked up system that he's glad for one that he's on the top.

"Ah come on, man! Was just chatting this dude up!" Liam whines and the other guy's eyes glance over him once before rolling his eyes.

"I'm not chatting up this girl-wannabe" He blinks at the guy's statement.

"Excuse me?"

The guy scoffs, "Let's go" He directs it to Liam, totally ignoring him which irritates him. _Who the hell does he think himself?_

"Bossy as always" Liam mumbles as he walks towards the guy, ignoring him too like he didn't just try to start a conversation.

It's probably the night shadow that covers most of the guy's features and him being away too, because from a distance, he can't really tell that much other than the fact that he's an asshole. Another Alpha that thinks himself too superior over others. He doesn't reply though, doesn't counter in order not to start a fight. _Listen and observe, you can beat their asses later. Humiliation in front of thousands in flesh and other millions on T.V is better_. Ed would always tell him that, so he lets them go, watching their dark figures move in the open field.

///

"Harry, This is the one and only, Louis Tomlinson" Ed introduces him to Louis, someone he got to know for a while now, said he had to get to know the guy more in order for him to help them. He smiles politely as a man comes in view, a wide grin spread on his face as he greets them, short and small but toned body, ocean blue eyes and brown feathery hair. The type that is friendly but could still bite you hard if you crossed the line. A beta, genius in his field.

"Don’t normally get to work with a foreigner, but I'll make an exception for you" Louis's turns to him, "If it wasn't for Ed, you wouldn't be here" Harry nods at him as Louis turns again to Ed, "Really lucky for having this dude" He pats Ed's arms before turning on his heels and motioning them to follow him. The garage is big, organized, and Harry raises his brows slightly when one of the closed doors open as Louis presses a button and enters a code on the device. "Like to give my clients their privacy" He nods inside and they get in.

The garage, or shop, that Louis owns inside this place has a reception too, and he knows by now that each client is only allowed to come as individuals, group of one team in order not to see what other clients have. A smart move, getting Louis to have many clients who are ready to pay big checks for him to work his magic on their ride. But something about what he said earlier tells him that his clients aren't that many because if he snapped a finger, Harry is positive Louis could be very rich by now.

"The adjustment should give you a speed boost. You are on your own to try to match it. You could blow the whole thing up if you are not careful" Louis tells him as Harry low whistles at his bike, Louis' also given the appearance a bit modification as well, keeping the original design with the red paint and his number on the front in white. "If I'm honest, it's a beast ready to be unleashed" Louis smirks at his fine work, proud, and Harry owes Ed a big time for landing them a deal with Louis.

"You need to come and see for yourself" Harry tears his eyes away from the bike to look at Louis who shrugs.

"Can't make any promises. I'm a busy man"

Ed talks with Louis more as his bike is being transferred inside a truck. He waits for him outside once the truck is on its way when he spots a familiar figure. He knows Louis is pretty popular for his work and he isn’t surprised when Liam gets out of his car and starts walking towards him. He smiles, even waving at Harry who only raises his brows.

"Hey, mate" He nods at him before he's getting inside Louis' workshop and that's all that he gets from Liam, not even an apology, he should've expected that much. He turns to his side when he hears Ed's voice getting louder, and he should've expected what happens next too as another familiar voice shouts from behind him.

"Hey you! Old lady! Mind moving your car?"

One, he is not sure why he's getting this type of insults, never had in his life, but he's seriously pissed as he turns and glares at the other guy.

"The hell is wrong with you?!" In the sunlight, he can see clearly the person, black leather jacket, black jeans, black combat boots, black shirt, basically everything black, even his hair and the car he's standing behind its door as he gives Harry an impatient look. But his eyes for a change are shining amber. _He's the one to talk_ , Harry is pretty sure he's putting some sort of make-up on his face, especially around his eyes.

"Oh, you again. Whatever, just move your ugly car out of the way. Seriously who parks like that?" He doesn't even think he's done anything wrong as he slips back into the car and waits, expecting Harry to do what he said.

"Don't bother" Ed waves a dismissive hand in front of him as he reaches to grab his wrist. "He's just another asshole that thinks he's on top of everyone"

"Two insults in a row" Harry shakes his head, "I'm not letting him get away with it" He pulls his hand from Ed's grip hearing him sigh loudly as he heads towards the car doing what the guy asked, or ordered rudely. He sees the guy's eyes following him until he's standing next to his door, hand hitting the car roughly. "You know, I think we should settle this. Get the fuck out of the car"

"Oh please, I'm not gonna beat a girl"

"I have no absolute problem in doing so from my side"

"Hey!" Harry doesn't tear his eyes away from the guy who is staring back with indifference, "Everything is alright?" Liam appears in front of him and he doesn't mind taking two down. But Ed has moved too, the car is now closer to the two's as he shouts at Harry to let it go.

"You'll be lying on the floor next to your bike when I get on that track. Mark my words" Harry walks away even though he wanted nothing but to beat that asshole into pulp. _Later_ , he tells himself, and hears the guy snorting after him and sees Liam shaking his head before he's climbing in next to him.

///

The sun is out, the track is all his for the day, and he doesn't plan on wasting Ed's reservation. He does a few laps testing the new engine and the adjustment Louis made to his bike, falling a couple of times and almost landing a cut on his leg if it wasn’t for the outfit he's wearing. The race is yet to happen a week from now, and he knows he's got enough time to practice before then. He takes a break for a few minutes before continuing his training, his team checking his bike for any damages while he does so.

"Getting your ass on the road?" He turns his head to see Niall grinning at him. "Would suggest another track though" He nods his chin towards the track and Harry shrugs.

"It's not like the race is happening on the roads"

"Not the first one, no" Niall shakes his head. Harry knows though, each race has its own track, this one being so different it sets him on edge, trying out all possible tracks inside the country, still a national one, beginners, but he knows he can achieve higher. _Practicing for the current moment, don't waste your time on something you're not reaching yet_. Ed will always tell him that. "So how is it? The new engine?"

"Cool" Harry smirks, "A bit too fast compared to the previous one. Guess the tyres Louis put on is helping keeping the balance, but it's all on me to get it together" Niall nods. "Think Louis has clients here too?"

"Wouldn't matter" Niall shrugs, "It's about the rider's skill. Can be a disadvantage to be honest if they couldn't handle it" He fixes Harry with a concern look and the latter shakes his head.

"Don't worry mate. Just give me a couple more days and I'll be ready to go"

Niall nods again, watching Harry take another sip from his bottle of water and putting it down, waiting on his team to finish. "Was thinking we can take a time off. Get your mind to cool before the race, whatcha think?"

Harry chuckles but shakes his head, "Nah, mate. Need to get this to its top level before I get to cool down. Get the heat while at it" Niall smirks and wiggles his brows making Harry laugh again, "Fuck off! I was so not talking about that!"

"You're missing too many opportunities, man!" Niall whines, "When was the last time you even got off?" Harry shakes his head, a hint of laughter still remains on his lips. "There are too many who are ready to. You could be having a bird riding you while you ride your bike"

"I'll pass" Harry shrugs.

"Can't believe you" Niall sighs, "You remind me of that time in high-school-"

"Oh god" Harry groans.

"You were literally all over that dude, what's his name?"

Harry shakes his head, "Don't even remember, man. I was so drunk"

"Didn't stop you from breaking that poor guy. Couldn't ever have imagined you with a guy. An omega guy" Niall scrunches his face but Harry's face falls and he frowns.

"Omega males are not that bad. They're just …" He trails off, "It wasn't that bad"

Harry remembers that night, perhaps not the dude's face or his name, but he can remember half of the sex if he's being honest. It wasn't awful like everyone was expecting it to be, he thinks it was someone's dare? He can't even remember that too. But it's not their fault, the classification restricted them and he doesn't like it nor hate it, he's never had an omega male friend that close. While omega girls' scent can attract alphas, their heat definitely setting some on fire, he'd never met an omega male that has a scent that could attract him, not even in heat, and he wonders how do they manage their lives, being so forsaken from the society. He's not a cruel person, wouldn't make fun of them, and Niall reminding him of that night make him grimace. The past, he tells himself.

"Anyway, that's not why I came here for" Niall interrupts his thoughts, "You're free tonight?"

"Not sure. Why?"

"Will make sure you are" Niall grins, "I'll text you the time and place. Dress in black, wear a hoodie, and don’t come with your bike or any other ride really"

Harry furrows his brows, "The fuck are we doing?"

But Niall keeps his grin, "You'll see"

Harry already doesn't have a good feeling about it.

///

Niall makes him walk for ages until they reach the specific place. And from what Harry can see, it's an abandoned track. He still has zero idea what on earth they'll be doing in an abandoned track without his bike or his team. Niall shushes him all the way, and he isn’t slightly interested in any of this.

They get inside, and Harry can see that the track isn't in a bad condition really, not a _very_ bad condition, just … can't be used, yeah, he can put it like that.

Niall doesn't let him go further and instead they climb to the top quietly, bending to cross between the broken seats and Harry wants nothing more than to snap at Niall for running a good chill night he'd have and dragging him to whatever this is. If Niall is up for some illegal drugs, he'll make sure his head won't be throbbing from just feeling high. Or worse, if he's meeting with some gangsters. Or maybe-

"They're here" Niall whispers to him, elbows him in his side to make him stop, and because the lights are mainly focused on the track –even if they were a few which makes the vision a lot worse than it is– they're not seen. Harry follows Niall's gaze and he squints his eyes at the two people standing next to their bikes. _Training_. "I've seen them twice already. Can't tell if it's the same, but I guess it would be since the last time he couldn't make it"

"Who's he?" Harry doesn't shift his gaze from the two, one is waiting next to his bike while the other turns his engine on, still in the faint light that Harry can't see clearly, and he can't hear anything from such distance too.

"See the dude that's starting? The one with the black bike is the only one who participates though"

"How do you know it's black?" Harry rolls his eyes because there's no way he can tell the color in such light.

"See the track?" Niall asks instead and Harry shifts his gaze this time to glance around. There are some obstacles? He can't see clearly, but one is reflecting the light on it and it seems metal of some sort. He's not sure but they seem like … Spike strips? Is the guy jumping with his bike or something? "They're modified" Niall tells him and he has to turn his head to look at him. "There are gaps enough to pass the tyres. One wrong move and he'll be flipping off that bike. I'm talking about real damage here, mate"

Harry furrows his brows. It's about timing, adjusting your speed, and clearing your vision. It's not that hard if you go slow, perhaps if the light was stronger he can pass them easily. So he returns his gaze to the two, one of them is putting his helmet on as the other pat his shoulder.

"Did you see it before?" Harry asks, "Him getting hurt?" Because it sounds fishy. Something isn't right.

But Niall doesn't give him an answer, staring at the two as they talk for a moment before the one on the bike leans forward, taking time in concentration, and Harry calculates the distance. If the engine he's using is a good one, he can reach a high speed by the time he reaches the first strip. _If_ he's planning to.

"Here we go" Niall leans forwards too, biting on his bottom lip and staring intently at the rider. Harry _might_ be intrigued to know what the guy would do.

Harry's eyes widen at his start, going full force from the beginning that Harry is sure he'll lose his balance on the track. It's not smooth and he wonders how he can keep the bike away from the cracks- unless he really knows the track by now that he's memorized every little crack to avoid. Still, Harry might be worried as he approaches the first strip that he is really going to fall, because at such speed, he won't be able to control the right angle in order to pass through the gaps.

But boy was he wrong. Harry's jaw drops as he passes the first one, going through the second, passing a detour as he goes through the third one, and even though the distance is decreasing by every strip he comes along, the gaps differentiating from opening on the left to the right, and the rider never decreased his speed so far, and by the next ones, the lights aren't focused on them at all and Harry literally stands when the rider only counts on his own headlamp, managing to still go through the small gap, and okay, Harry would say he's memorized them as well for him to be this good.

The rider reaches the last one and all that Harry can see is how fast the bike spins, too astonished as the rider jumps and watches his own bike getting further away from him, finally stopping and landing on the ground where the other guy reaches with his own bike.

He also watches as the first one takes off his helmet, throwing it angrily at the ground and yelling out of frustration.

"Last time he stopped before the final three. I really wonder who has his bike fixed this fast, or his bike is really trashed that he doesn't care. Or perhaps he changes it every time?" Niall shrugs, "But for the record, those stripes weren’t placed in the same order like last time. The other guy usually arrives earlier and arranges them before the guy with the black bike appears, so I wouldn't say what you're thinking of"

Harry turns to him and frowns, because he was actually thinking that the guy happens to own an incredible memory.

"And what does this has to do with anything?"

Niall turns to him and smirks, "These two are competing with you"

///

Harry is having his mind busy, going through that night in the abandoned track. It's impressive, he'd admit, but going back to watch won't make him better, and even though he wants so badly to know who those two are, his time doesn't really allow him to. Ed would kill him if he knew that he'd been sneaking out with Niall to watch some bloke circling a track. God, he'd be so displeased with him and would blame him for every little mistake he makes, even if it wasn't his actually, but Ed is the type to make guilt rush through your veins and he doesn't want that, not now.

And despite his training rounds in a decent track, he wonders how he would do in that cracked track, if he'd be able to cross those strips. He knows there are upcoming rounds outside, hitting all types of roads, but Ed would keep him focused on what he has next instead, _everything has its own time_ , and Harry believes so, but he can't help wondering about the mysterious guy and how would he do in the race. He hopes he's not good, but he knows he is, and Harry needs to gather his thoughts together by his final lap as he comes to a stop, his team is taking his bike away to look for any damages he might have made.

"Good one, Harry. Treat yourself tonight, mate!" Ed grins at him.

Harry picks up his water bottle, "Was thinking I could stay for some more-"

"No you're not" Ed cuts him off sharply and Harry presses his lips shut. "You're not exhausting yourself. I don't want an injury or the slightest sign of you being tired, you hear me?"

"Yes" Harry replies calmly.

"You're too tense, H. Get a night off" Ed repeats and Harry sighs. It's another thing Ed won't let him do. Over-exercising isn’t allowed. And he knows it won't benefit him, not now, not when he has a race the next week, and he certainly doesn't want to see any damages caused by himself. So Ed's right. Having a night off seems like a good idea to pull out his frustration without exhausting his body, going at his own tempo.

And right on time, Niall appears from behind Ed with a grin on his face. "We're hitting it tonight, mate?" Harry shrugs. "Yes! Finally!" Niall hugs him briefly before he's dragging him outside the track and into his car.

"I think you should go like this. All sweaty and showing your scent. Drives girls crazy, man"

Harry laughs and shakes his head, "Don’t wanna ruin the suit, Ni"

"For fuck's sake" Niall mutters under his breath, "Just don't take forever, mate. I swear I'll leave you to go on your own"

Harry turns to him, an amused smirk on his face, "Sure. Like you weren't dreaming about having me with you" Because Niall is cute, but he's usually the charmer.

"Shut up" Niall groans. "Like you don't want to go with your best mate!"

///

The club is lively. They're not even seated yet and his scent is attracting many omega girls towards him, Niall is having fun too, grinding with a beta girl on the dance floor. There's a girl in his lap and another clinging to his arm, and all is good. Any thoughts of those mysterious riders are long gone as he keeps drinking, hands travelling across his body, and he knows he's having a good night. He ends up with two girls in a small room, and he's too buzzed to see clearly after three orgasms and too many alcohol drinks to count.

He finds Niall later, or Niall finds him, Ed picking up both and he doesn't even remember him being around with them but he's glad because neither is in a good state to drive back which he knows that Ed would give him a disapproving look in the morning when he's hangover and can't wake up properly until noon then he'll be good to ride.

They stop on their way for gas, and while Niall is asleep by now, he's not, and a certain scent catches his attention.

In a corner, there's a guy, an _omega_ , and Harry knows from his strong scent that he's in heat. _Poor guy_. Whimpering quietly in the corner, trying his best not to attract anyone, not to attract alpha males specifically, and Harry feels sorry for him. If an alpha feels like he's bullying the poor guy tonight then it's not in the omega's favor at all. The scent is strong, yes, he can smell it from this far, but that's it. It doesn't make him lust for the guy, because that's how male omegas are. But he's not a mean person, and if he was in a good shape, he might've offered to take the poor omega home, keeping alphas' hands off him.

And alphas don't want him for _him_. But there are sick people who enjoy seeing male omegas in heat, because they're clingy and would beg for it but would be left afterwards with nothing at all, making them look pathetic than they already are.

Harry sighs, turning his head away and waiting for Ed to finish so they can drive away.

 _And then he hears it_.

The laughs of alphas approaching the poor omega, and his vision is still somehow clear. _Four_. Four alphas circling the poor omega and enjoying their view, slick covering his pants, and Harry isn’t a fan of such thing, but he's pissed drunk, and Ed won't be able to handle them either, not even by trying to talk to them. Happened once, _never again_.

There are insults being thrown at the omega and Harry watches from his position inside the car, hearing the door opening and Ed moving inside.

"Drop it, mate. You can't do anything about it" Ed turns the engine on again, but it's not the only engine sound he can hear in this late hour of the night, and his head is automatically whipped towards the sound as Ed starts driving away.

 _A bike_.

And Harry could swear it's the same black bike he'd seen in the abandoned track even though he couldn't see it clearly back then. But he stares, eyes going wide and lips parting as he watches the bike approaching the guys, speed never faltering until the alphas are actually aware of him going towards them, moving quickly and something sparks inside Harry's brain.

The way the rider moves with the same movement the alpha makes reminds him of that time in the track where he'd be focusing on the gaps, trying to angle the bike perfectly to go through, and yeah, alright, maybe Niall was right, maybe that guy is something else and Harry should be actually watching out for him, because the rider doesn't mind his bike hitting the alphas at all, but Harry sees it then, the way the bike moves and how the rider raises an arm, avoiding ramming the guy and instead dropping him with his elbow, the speed giving him an advantage, before he's spinning the bike swiftly, standing on the back tyre to drop the other two to the ground. The remaining one is still standing, anger clear on his face as he approaches the rider, and Harry curses Ed in his mind for driving away, because he can't see who he is when he takes his helmet off, throwing at the guy when he approaches him rather robustly and watching the rest trying to stand up with their injuries.

Harry can't hear of course, but the rider helps the omega to stand on his feet, taking his helmet and passing it to the omega behind him before hitting the road again, going in the other direction, and Harry can only blink after him in disappointment.

"I hate you" He mumbles, directed to Ed, but the latter doesn't hear him, continuing to drive until he reaches his building.

"You're good to get on your own?" Ed parks and turns to him and Harry nods. He can still walk, and the scene from a few minutes ago made his brain wake up. So he does, getting out of the car and waving at Ed when he drives away.

He can have a good sleep tonight, he thinks. Hoping that the mysterious rider won't appear on his dream. He prays that he doesn't. Maybe if he prayed hard enough he'll manage somehow to beat him in the race.

And now that he remembers that, it's not that long until he gets to know who he is, but the curiosity is killing him already. _Could he win against him or would he be the end of Harry?_ He doesn't know. But Ed won't be pleased to hear such question. Don't underestimate yourself, you can do it if you're determined. But Harry wishes he'd try harder, harder than just be in a track. Harder than just passing those gaps. _Could he do it?_

He leaves the elevator, the hallway to his room coming in view, and for the second time, Harry can smell something so strong.

But it's not the same, and it gets him leaning back on a wall, because the scent is too strong and too intoxicating. He looks towards the room across from him. He doesn't know his neighbors this well, and he can't remember who is in there, but he knows for sure that this is a smell of an omega, not in heat, but damn does it smell better than he'd ever experienced, and he doesn’t mind achieving a forth orgasm right here and now if it wasn't pathetic, and he finds himself wondering just how good that omega would smell in heat.

It's a girl, Harry is sure of it, and he needs to know who. But there's another thought that comes to his mind because _what if she's already taken?_

He shakes his head and heads to his apartment instead. He is just going to sleep tonight.

///

It's here, and Harry is thrilled.

He's not up yet, but at least he gets to know who is in the competition. Perhaps the first people to go are the ones with the most pressure on, but as he glances around, they don't seem stressed at all, not all of them, because alphas like to show off and Harry knows he likes to too.

The first round is up, and he gets a glimpse of Liam on a green bike before he's wearing his helmet. There's a part of him that wants him to lose while the other is just indifferent. He tries to glance around him for his asshole friend, but even among his team, he's not present, and Harry wonders if he's even a participant. Maybe he's in the crowd, not that Harry cares, but he would like to smash his face.

"Take a good look" Ed says quietly from his side and Harry knows he has to watch, see who is good and who isn't.

"Nothing too interesting" Harry replies by the second lap, all is well, he sees the green bike leading, but no one is trying too hard to do something. Or perhaps Harry is just waiting for a certain black bike to appear for his interest to spark.

The fifth and final lap ends with Liam as the first and Harry glances up at the screen to see his timing.

_Round 1 - 1 st Liam Payne._

The second group starts to prepare and Harry catches a glimpse of a smirking Louis not too far from him, and Ed doesn't say anything when he gets up to greet him.

"Your client?"

Louis turns his head to him and shrugs, "Can't really say"

"Is that a yes?"

"Would you like for your private info to leak too?" Louis counters, a teasing tone is on as he turns his head back to look at the track.

"Harry!" Niall shouts for him and Louis waves at him before he goes back again. "You'll need to watch this one, mate" He grins and Harry turns to look at the track too as he sits down next to Niall and Ed.

For the third time, he didn't get to see the black rider's face but he looks up to see the names of the people participating.

"You know someone?" Ed turns to him and Harry shrugs. He can't tell him that he and Niall stalked the guy with another one.

And for the first time today, Harry leans forward, eyes fixed on the guy's every movement. How he rolls his shoulders, how his hands grip the handles, how his body is relaxed yet focused, and Harry wants to move a little closer, he doesn’t want the big screen, he wants the actual thing.

The signal goes for the first lap and he sees the mysterious rider speeding up little by little until his speed is exceeding those who are in front of him, and Harry might not be all that surprised when he reaches the round corner without slowing down, vision clear in the sunlight, and he sees how his body almost touches the ground as his bike leans to it, startling some of the contestants next to him before he's up straight again, full speed on as he goes into the second lap, and Harry's eyes don’t leave him until he's finished, crowed in awe along with the competitors, and if Harry's being honest, he doesn’t know what he'd do when he faces him, but he's not an easy person too, and he'd probably go on full speed as well, control thrown away off the window.

"Sick" Niall mutters from his side, "He's not even making an effort" And he's right. It sounds too easy for the guy that Harry is sure he'll excel in an Enduro. He can even see him in an Endurance race all on his own.

Harry watches as the rider's head turns, still having his helmet on, and he glances over the same spot, seeing Louis, wearing a satisfied smirk on his face as he nods back at him. _He's definitely one of his clients then_.

The scores are up and he looks to find the name he's been waiting to see.

 _Round 2 - 1 st Zayn Malik_.

And to connect the face with the name, he's just in time as he glances back, seeing Zayn with his team, taking off his helmet and pushing his hair back.

 _Fuck_. The mysterious black rider is the same asshole that was with Liam. That means that he's also the same person that saved that omega, and he can't be nice and cruel at the same time, and there are two assumptions in his mind, either Zayn knew the omega and was a friend which is probably not the case at all, or he simply had bad blood with those alphas and decided to mess their play. Yeah, definitely the second one.

"Mate" Niall nudges him to gain his attention, but Harry squints his eyes at Zayn's team. There's a tall, muscular, black guy with his long hair braided talking to him, and he knows him from somewhere, he's just not sure where exactly.

"You're up next" Ed tells him, and he finally diverts his eyes away from Zayn. "I know he's cool and all, but you've got your own round, H. Get your ass off that bench"

Harry nods and reaches for his helmet.

"Harry" Niall says quietly from his side and Harry turns to him before he's putting his helmet on, "You're here to win a place in the race. You've got nothing to prove to him. Don't do anything rash"

Harry sighs, "I know"

"Come on!" Ed shouts at him and he nods at Niall, patting his shoulder before he's off towards Ed and on top of his bike. Zayn is good, he'll give him that, but he's not his opponent yet, and Harry needs to focus on winning his round before thinking about anything else.

He doesn’t allow his eyes to wander again towards Zayn's bench and instead, he keeps them on the track, waiting for the starting signal and hearing the sound of his engine being impatient just as him. And like Niall told him, or like Ed _always_ tells him, he keeps his mind on one thing at a time, doesn't go on full speed and risking the chance of being flipped over. He does what he's used to, what he's been practicing on, finishes the first lap with someone still in front of him until he sees an opening, speeding up when he can and slowing down when it's necessary, managing to surpass the person by his second lap and keeps going until he finishes.

He hears the crowd cheering loudly, people knowing him from that night at the party, some don't but are just charmed as the camera zooms on him and he looks up at the score screen.

 _Round 3 – 1 st Harry styles_.

He slowly drags his gaze back to Zayn's bench to find him already looking at him. Face emotionless and eyes hard. He's acknowledging Harry as a competitor, nothing more, nothing less, and Harry keeps a hard stare of his own before he's making a turn to his own bench, Niall and Ed cheering for him. He also sees Louis giving him a pleased nod.

///

There's no day off between the pervious and the next race. The first one was just to get the final number of competitors, and Harry feels thrilled as they walk in the open road as he had always loved this type of races.

He spots a familiar figure, and he knows that Ed is definitely giving him a disapproving look right now, and he knows that Niall would tell him to keep moving, but Harry isn't here for trouble, no, he won’t get himself disqualified now that he got his position, not after people knowing of his name. So he isn't here for trouble, not now, _not outside the track_.

While he could swear he'd seen this person before multiple times, his brain doesn't seem to determine where, but he stops, and in the small space underneath the bridge, he can see Zayn with his bike, and he has no idea why his team isn't working on the bike, but Zayn looks up at him from behind the smoke of the cigarette between his lips, smell so strong that Harry knows it's some illegal drugs, and he wonders if that what makes Zayn so calm in his racings. Combined with a heavy cologne, it makes his alpha scent close to nonexistent, and while most alphas like to show off their scent, Zayn doesn't seem to even try to, and Harry won't say it out loud, but he thinks Zayn's behavior alone marks his type. He's in all black again, and something seems odd about him with how the clothes wrap him up, but Harry won't make a comment on it, not now, he'll make sure Zayn is out of the competition first.

"Popping champagne tonight?" He smirks, "I'll be decent enough to allow you in"

Zayn's expression doesn't change, he just throws his cigarette away, and the black guy doesn’t say anything, expression neutral as well.

"Think I'll pass" Zayn pushes himself off the wall, "Not in the mood to go to my sister's prom"

For the third time, Harry wants to punch him in the face as his jaw clenches, "You know-"

"Save it" Zayn cuts him off, grabbing his helmet and putting it on as he gets on his bike, "Whatever you want to prove, prove it on the track"

Harry hears the engine going off and he groans. For once, he needs Zayn to stay a little while longer and retort with actions instead of disappearing right afterwards. He hates him but he's right, it's what Ed always tell him. _Prove it on the track_.

Niall approaches him with his hands in his pockets. "It's sunny, you're getting blind after half a mile" He smirks, "If that hot weather chick is correct, your second round will be a hell of a round with how wind is gonna blow you"

"Doubt it" Harry replies, "I'll finish before the required time"

"No, you won’t" Niall shakes his head as he comes to a stop in front of him, "You'll be all over that track trying to prove you’re the best" Harry shrugs with a smile, "Ed is gonna kill you if you do"

"He can't blame me if I won"

"You need to go back" Niall points behind him, "I think your first round is about to start"

Harry nods at him and they go back. He waits for the board to announce the names of the first round, and he hates how it puts everyone on edge, but as the twenty names get to their last and he's not included, he huffs a frustrated breath and slumps back on his bench. He sees Liam's name though among them. And he doesn’t know why, but he's glad that Zayn's name is also not in the first round, and his eyes glance to his bench to find him looking at Liam as he gets ready, and he knows both are friends or something.

"First dude that gets you all hyped up"

Harry turns to him, expecting an amused smile on Niall's face but he isn't looking at Harry nor at Zayn's bench. He's focused on the screen that shows the first round competitors. "He's got skills"

"Don't" Niall turns to him then, "You're unique in your own way. Just because he can do something you can't doesn't mean you have to do it. Bet there's a million thing he can't do that you can. It's not always about the race, Harry"

Harry exhales slowly, leaning to the side to bump his shoulder, "I'm not going to hurt myself, Ni"

"Not too much" Ed interrupts and Harry has to huff a laugh. "That lad likes to have a bruise somewhere on his body to prove he's been there" He shakes his head and takes a seat next to Niall, "There's no putting sense in his mind anymore. Your mom must be proud"

"Very, trust me" Harry replies and turns his gaze again towards Zayn, "I'm just focusing on my career"

"There's no career if there's no you" Ed mumbles.

"There's always a risk, Ed" Harry mumbles back.

"He's a softy" Niall whispers to him and he chuckles. Ed gives them a glare.

"Attention, Styles" Ed yells at them and they both know that the first round is starting and they need to pay attention. Getting the second round is good, he gets to know the road's turns and tricks, and because they're not yet started, he takes another glance at Zayn, and he knows why Ed and Niall are worried.

Perhaps he wanted to see Zayn on that track first, knowing too well that he does more than perfect with unexpected conditions, and he hates the guy, but he can't help but admire his skills, and he doesn't know which he'll focus on when he gets on the same round as Zayn.

"Think that Payne guy can do less than fifteen minutes?" Niall asks.

Harry's gaze returns to the screen, "I've seen better than him. Won't put too much hope on him winning the first nor the second place"

Niall leans in to whisper, "I still think he has something up his sleeves" He points with his chin and Harry follows his gaze to land on Louis who's focused on Liam for a little more than the other competitors.

"Another client?"

"What's the difference?" Ed interrupts them. "Your bike can do much better"

Harry sighs. Ed didn't say that _he_ can do much better. A bike is nothing without its rider, but he knows what Ed is hinting at, and he stops himself from rolling his eyes. Ed is his friend more than his trainer, and he doesn't know why he and Niall worry too much. It's not his first race.

"I'll put my bet on Ron" Harry whispers to Niall, watching as Ron surpasses three riders and does a perfect turn, but his mind can't stop seeing that black bike never slowing down near corners, and for a second time, he knows too well why Ed and Niall are worrying he does something stupid.

"Four bucks this time? I already have the rest of my money on the second round. Look at the eleventh bench. Guess I can spare four bucks on this one"

Harry sees the eleventh bench, team consisting of more girls than guys and he laughs, punching Niall's shoulder lightly, "You wouldn't put your money on me? I'm offended"

"You wouldn't put your money on yourself" Ed speaks up and Harry bites on his lip.

"It's different. I'm determined"

"Good" Ed turns to him, "Three minutes, Styles. Up"

Harry nods, zipping up his suit and grabbing his helmet. His gaze stays on the screen until the riders arrive at the finish line. There's a moment when there's a reply in slow motion from above to show who got to the line before the other, and Harry's doubts are half correct as he sees Liam's name flashing in the second place. He's still in the next race, he's good, probably not what Harry has his eyes on, but he puts on his helmet as Ed pats his shoulder, telling him to stand by, and he moves his bike slowly until he's behind the starting line, competitors aligning next to him, and he closes his eyes for a second before they glance at a certain black bike and reopens them, focus fully on the road ahead of him. He got this. He can beat his ass.

There's a beta girl standing in her bra and jean shorts holding the flag, and he doesn't allow his gaze to shift from that black and white flag as it goes down, and he's pressing on the gas.

They're all very close for the first minute, then they start to form a distance as the second minute goes by, and Harry had seen the road, knows when to slow down at every corner and knows when to speed up, but as they come to the first one, the black bike surpasses him with too ease, and Harry wants to freeze his body, but he curses and slows down just like the rest of the riders, hitting the gas again once they pass the corner, and he's too glad that Louis' adjustments made his bike speed up faster than his old engine could, and a smirks stretches on his face as the black bike comes closer in his view, closer and closer until Harry is at the same distance, and he really wants to see Zayn's face right now as he sees the front of his bike progressing ahead of Zayn's, and there's another sharp turn that Zayn also doesn't slow down at it, but he's behind Harry, so it makes him in the same distance again when they pass the turn, and Harry almost wants to laugh at how Zayn's bike isn't faster than his despite his skills. Well, a bike _can_ do much more than its rider.

Harry knows he can do less than fifteen minutes. He knows that this is the free part of the road that he can speed at freely, and he can't see the rest of the riders behind him anymore other than the black bike, and he honestly had expected Zayn to do something, but he's surprisingly keeping the same speed.

No, hold on.

Zayn is _decreasing_ his speed, and Harry wants to slow down to see why, but he can't. He's going to win this on his own way, he doesn't need to know why Zayn is doing whatever he's doing, and probably his bike isn’t all that good, but Harry knows it might be damaged from his exotic training. Zayn himself might be damaged from the drugs and the exotic training, so Harry won't think about anything other than winning his round, getting his deserved position, move on to the next and the next until he's at the finals, until he's winning a gold cup and there're too many sponsors who are willing to pay him.

But Harry doesn't get to enjoy his daydream as he hears the sound of the engine go higher and closer, and he thinks that Zayn is out of his mind as they near another sharp corner, but he's next to him in the following second, and Harry knows he can do this round in fourteen minutes still, thirteen if he ignored Ed and Niall and went on full speed, and god would it be a record, but he doesn't accelerate on a sharp corner, he instead sees Zayn lowering his bike too close to the ground, and Harry knows he'll either get himself and his bike to roll down the road or he'll spin in circles until his suit is torn and his bike is no shape to even be fixed.

There's a sound of Zayn's breaks, smoke erupting from the tyres, and Harry almost misses the other bike approaching from behind him, going at full speed, and Harry knows it's stupidity, knows it might have been him instead, but the clueless rider is trying to surpass them both, trying to prove that he can do better than Zayn, that controlling the bike at such high speed is something too easy, and he knows it's the arrogance of an alpha, but he slows down, watching the other rider getting to the corner, too close to the ground, but he can't control it like Zayn.

_Harry almost misses it._

It's the last turn at the track, and Harry might have pressed to get to a higher speed to pass them both, but he sees Zayn looking over his shoulder at the other rider, and he knows now the reason Zayn slowed down because there's a bike rolling in front of him now that he has to evade, and a bike separating him from Zayn means that the latter is good to go at full speed to pass the line before him.

Zayn isn't stupid. He knows his capabilities. He's aware of his surroundings. And Harry wants to scream as he passes the discarded bike, but he's not close, and it's not the bike. It's never the bike. It's always the rider. Harry hates Zayn, and he hates how he's focused more on what's in front of him to even notice there might be someone that stupid to try mimic Zayn.

He doesn't pick his head up to see the screen. He sees the other biker's team getting to him quickly to check his injuries. Ed and Niall are hurrying to him. But his gaze is focused on the black bike. Zayn removes his helmet and his expressionless face is on. He pushes his hair backwards as his team stays in its place like nothing major happened, like it's another easy win for Zayn.

_Zayn doesn't even glance at him nor the board._

///

"Slow down, mate. It's just one loss" Niall tries with a concerned look on his face.

"Just one loss?!" Harry slams his glass on the counter, "I fucking gave him the chance of a lifetime to humiliate me!"

"It's not the end, Harry. You came in second. You're still in for tomorrow" Ed reminds him and Harry snaps his head towards him.

"Fucking wait till you're in the track. I should've crushed him when I got the chance" He mumbles, "You know, I could've won! I could've switched to a higher speed! I'm fucking responsible for my own!"

"You made a mistake. He had a better plan. It's not the end of the world" Ed replies sternly.

"You're a fucking piece of shit" Harry shakes his head and downs his next shot. Niall sighs by his side, a hand rubbing at his arm soothingly, and he knows both are trying to help, so he closes his eyes, lets his head rest between his arms for a moment before picking his head up to look at Ed. "Give me a track this evening"

"Absolutely not"

"Screw you" Harry pushes himself off the stool.

"You're not getting your bike tonight, Harry"

"Screw you" He repeats as he walks away.

"You're not having the car either!" Ed shouts after him and Harry raises his middle finger as he exits the club. Ed sighs and turns to Niall. "Can you make sure he doesn't get in trouble tonight? I want him healthy by tomorrow's race" Niall nods and hops off his stool to follow him.

He sees Harry outside, walking slowly and kicking whatever is at his feet. He hurries to him and slows down to fall in step with him.

"No bike, no car. He treats me like I'm a fucking teenager grounded by his dad because he left school"

"He wants you in one piece tomorrow"

"I want to win, Ni!" Harry turns to him, "I have to get my bike tonight" He stops and Niall sighs.

"Why? You're going to be stressed. You'll be tired tomorrow. And there's the possibility of you getting hurt or damaging your bike"

"He can't win the next round"

"Why are you so keen on him?" Niall furrows his brows, "You never got this down because of a competitor"

"He's …" Harry's shoulders slump and he looks away, "He's better, Ni. I can't surpass him while I'm like this"

"That never stopped you before" Niall shakes his head.

"He's the top class, Ni"

"Fuck that. Fuck him" Niall shrugs, "You're you, and you're the best. You don't need a track to prove to yourself that you can do the things that he can … He's just another hurdle to pass. You don't know his problems. Don’t lose your shit over someone who doesn't even respect you as an equal competitor" Harry looks back at him and Niall gets closer, "And … between you and me … I don't give a shit to what Ed says. Do what you see best inside that track" He picks a fist up, "As long as you're breathing, mate" He smiles and Harry smiles back, bumping his fist with Niall.

"I'm gonna get back home. Need to clear my mind for tonight"

"No shagging"

Harry laughs as he turns to leave. "Wasn't even on my mind, you little shit!"

Niall grins at him and watches him leave.

///

Harry groans loudly when he feels the bed dipping next to him and the covers are thrown away off him.

“Up! Up! Up!” Niall chants loudly and he has to bury his face into the pillows to avoid the sunlight from the opened window. “You’re going to be so pleased when you hear what I have for you!”

Harry turns to him and raises his brows, “Did you get a mate?”

“No, you idiot” Niall sighs, sitting next to him and grinning, “We got the whole day for training”

“What?” Harry sits up too, brows furrowing as he sees the smirk on Niall’s face.

“Two of the managers are in rut so they postponed the race to tomorrow, and Ed managed to get to the track you’re racing on. Well … Actually, everyone has access now, to make it up for the delay, you know, they don’t want to shed any light on the issue so ...” He shrugs, “I guess God accepted your prayers”

“Fuck” Harry smiles, “Fuck!” He throws a pillow at Niall and quickly goes to change his clothes. He trips on his way and falls on the ground making Niall laugh.

“Easy, mate! We want you in once peace!” Harry raises a hand that he’s okay.

///

Harry looks over the trees and grass and mud as his team looks over his bike before he goes. There’s a camera set on top of his helmet, and he has an ear set to talk to Ed for instructions. He has seen pictures of the track, seen a video of the route, and he knows there are other competitors here as well, but for now, Ed got him the track only for him. It’s a Hare scramble race. An off-road race with only one lap but very long length. He hopes he can accomplish an hour. Ed didn’t give him his bike last night because it was at Louis’ and he’s grateful for it. Louis’ made some great adjustments to the tyres.

“Ready champ?” Ed calls and he turns to him, putting on his helmet.

“Always”

Ed smiles and pats his shoulder. Niall gives him a thumbs up as he gets on his bike.

“We have the car, so if anything happens, we’ll be right there. Just don’t go off the track, you hear me?” Ed warns sternly.

“Why would I want to go off-track?” He glances at Niall who looks away and he rolls his eyes. Ed doesn’t tell him anything either.

“Just listen to me for once, god” Ed sighs, “Time is important. We don’t have all day. Memorize the route”

“Got it” Harry takes a deep breath and waits for Ed to count down. He hears the sound of his engine in his ears before he hears Ed’s voice coming through his ear-set asking for confirmation if he hears him. He rolls back his shoulders and hits the road.

There’re many puddles on the way, he sees the branches placed on the ground that might damage his tyres, and he counts the highs and lows on his way, calculating in his mind when exactly he needs to speed up and when he needs to slow down. One thing he’s sure of though, he’s getting dirty, the literal meaning. Mud is not leaving him nor his bike alone.

“Alright, hear me out, Haz” Ed starts, “The creek beds are part of the track, you cannot avoid it. It’s barely fitting for one bike, so you’ll need to take an advantage before you reach there. Disqualification is bright and clear if you injured an opponent. After what happened before, the judges are concerned about the riders”

“Reach first, got it” He just needs to speed up before he gets there. Jumping over the logs in front of him don’t seem like a good idea considering he’ll jump right into another deep puddle, and he wonders if he can go fast enough while he’s on the pasture area so his jump will avoid the puddle.

“And be careful of the ruts. Get down and you won’t get up” Ed continues, “You’ve seen the narrow trail on the video. The bike’s handlebars won’t fit. You’ll have to drift or lift up your front tyre”

Harry rolls his eyes, “I know what to do”

“Just don’t get too carried away. And I don’t need to remind you that everyone got their own style”

Harry sighs, he knows he’d talking about Zayn. “I know”

“Good. Now pay attention. You’re going on a high speed and you’re about to land butt first off that hill”

“I’m not- ugh!” He can’t see the hill to be honest, the trees are blocking his view.

“Be thankful it’s in the daylight. You’d be dead if it was at night”

“Thank you for your utmost trust in me!” Harry slows down slightly so he’s going down the hill smoothly. Another motorbike catches his attention outside the track and he glances towards the engine sound.

“Harry” Ed warns, “Focus on the god damn track! We don’t have the whole fucking day!”

“Fine, fine!” Harry turns his head again, “You don’t need to yell at me!”

///

Niall approaches him with a bottle of water with a smirk on his face. He’s done his laps. Three hours is what they had and it’s what they used efficiently. He knows the track by heart now. So he’s outside the track, a bit far away to give the next competitor a chance to train as well, he’s showered and had a quick snack, and feeling awesome.

“What’re you up to, Horan?”

“Do I need to be up to something?” Niall hands him the bottle, “Can’t I just be happy for my best mate to be out there smashing it?”

Harry bumps his shoulder, “Thanks, Ni”

“I’ll get my car, but if Ed ever heard out I took you somewhere …”

“He won’t” Harry winks at him, “Now, where are we going?”

“A surprise” Niall smirks, turning and walking away and Harry glances around before following him. “The main track is a training ground as for the moment. And I swear they’re getting paid hella good prices for it, but that’s not my issue. There are some who are training outside the area too” He looks at Harry over his shoulder.

“And you’re taking me to them, I suppose?”

Niall gets in the car, “Ever thought why they chose this place specifically?” Harry raises his brows and shrugs, “Because it’s decent. No animals, not too many snags. And you know … A place where cameras can reach from helicopters”

“So?”

“So …” Niall drives away, “You have a thick brain” Harry opens the water bottle and throws it on him. “You’re an ass!”

///

Sunset isn’t far, but the thick huge trees are blocking his view from the sun. Harry is sure as he gets out of the car and following Niall slowly, that they’re not allowed to be here.

“How many times do I ask you if we’re getting illegal drugs?”

“How many times do I tell you we’re not?” Niall rolls his eyes, “Don’t make me regret bringing you here!” He opens the trunk and Harry furrows his brows, “Come on, I’m not that stupid to get inside at this hour, but I know a good spot we can see from. Here, I would’ve brought us some spyglasses but …” He picks up something and smirks wider, “I borrowed a Flying Drone from a friend”

“Sick”

“Come on. We can’t go up with the car”

“Can’t we stay inside the car and maneuver that?” He points at the Flying Drone.

“We need a signal and a good source of light that goes unnoticed. You’re seriously dumb” Niall shakes his head and it earns him a slap on the back of his head.

They go up eventually, and Niall turns on the Drone, watching it fly downwards as Harry opens the laptop. “Fuck. I think this is illegal”

“Oh, I’ll show you illegal” Niall replies, maneuvering the Drone to go between the branches. Harry keeps his gaze on the screen, and the camera isn’t provided with sound, but he watches anyway.

“Bingo!” Niall yells, eyes filled with excitement as Harry squints his eyes on the screen. He sees two figures with bikes. One sitting next to it with a similar laptop, while the other is on the bike. As Niall gets a closer image, Harry isn’t surprised to see the same black bike that has been haunting his nightmares.

“Zayn is training here …” He mumbles.

“Liam was the biker you saw earlier. I followed him without Ed’s consent to be honest, but he was too focused on you to care about me. Then I found Zayn, training here on his own. I guess Liam is finished now. And no, Zayn is the only one who’s using this area it appears”

Harry groans loudly, “I’m not supposed to be watching that, Niall! If Ed ever found out-”

“He won’t. Cut the shit and thank me”

Harry sighs, leaning close to the screen as Zayn turns on his engine. Niall focuses on just following him around from above while Harry does his analysis. He’s going fast, he can see that, and he glances at Niall with narrowed eyes who in return, smirks.

“Hey, I knew what I’m using it for. I needed it to be as fast as possible. God knows this lad is hella fast”

And Harry agrees. Eyes widening as he sees Zayn jumping off a hill like he’s been trained to do so his entire life. Landing easily on the ground, the bike is bouncing but he’s very stable on it. He’s light. His bike isn’t as heavy either, Harry can swear on it, and the twists he takes in the narrow roads, how he ducks perfectly and takes unexpected turns. He already admitted Zayn is good. Zayn is better than him, he knows that fact.

He doesn’t return to Liam, surprisingly, and the laps he takes aren’t the same. Harry furrows his brows. “Is he lost?”

“Nah” Niall replies, “He knows what he’s doing”

“He’s not going in the same route”

“That’s because he doesn’t _want_ to go in the same route” Niall replies simply, “He’s testing his abilities. Sees how far he can go … Watch that!”

Harry focuses on the screen again, and the area Zayn is entering is darker than before, the thickness of the branches making it impossible for the light to get in, if the sun is even up that is, and Harry has to squint through the screen to see his figure on the bike, and Niall gets closer. He fears that Zayn might notice the Drone. He’s not the type to be focused on one thing after all.

“The engine wound would cover the Drone’s” Niall replies for him and he nods slowly. “Don’t worry. I’m always prepared. There’s a night mode included” He presses a button and immediately, Harry can see much clearer. And Zayn ducks low to the ground, making a good drift near a hill and down the branches. Spinning a perfect angle before he sees the bike literally spinning in midair, his mouth going slack as Zayn avoids a log and lands on the ground again, his body lifting up from the bike to avoid the contact as the bike bounces, but he keeps his hands on the handlebars, his speed increasing as he lifts it up on the front tyre, and he had seen him once doing it, but Zayn flips again, and Harry watches him land on the ground and stopping, checking his watch to probably see his timing, and Harry knows he’s screwed, that he should probably surrender already, but he’s amazed. Zayn drives normally back to Liam, proving damn well that he knows his way around without his fucking headlights.

“He’s flawless, Ni” He whines, “Look at him! He’s the perfect rider I’ve even seen!”

“Hey!” Niall snaps, “I didn’t get you here so you can cry”

“What do you want me to do?” He turns to him.

“I’m letting you see this today instead of being shocked tomorrow. Prepare something. Use that head of yours!” He stands up, “Come on, we have to leave. Ed will notice we’re gone if we’re late”

///

“Eyes on the track, champ” Niall whispers from his side before jumping in front of him.

“Hey, Ni”

“Focus on the race, not the back of Zayn’s head” He steps closer, “Mate, you know what he’s capable of. You’ll use that to your advantage, not be a copycat”

“I know” He sighs. “Wish me luck”

“You need a miracle, but that’s not important”

“Wow, thanks, Ni” He mumbles.

“Listen to me. Nobody cares about who wins the first or the second round”

“I do”

Niall gives him an unimpressed look. “As I was saying” He clears his throat, “You just need to pass this round. Everyone remembers only the champion at the end of the tournament. So don’t go all out”

“I always go all out”

“Harry” Niall warns, “Ed will literally kill you” He glances over his shoulder, “Which, speaking of, you should be on your way”

“Did he get on the track?” Harry asks quickly.

“Yeah”

“Of course he would” He mumbles.

“You asked”

Niall pats his shoulder and walks past him. He glances around, and he sees Louis again who gives him a smirk and a thumbs up, wishing him good luck. Harry nods in return. Ed calls him and he turns to go to his bike. Staring at Zayn with his team isn’t going to benefit him much.

He breathes deeply, in and out as he puts on his helmet. And this time, Ed isn’t in his ear to tell him what to do, there’s no camera watching his every move but the one recording the entire race from above and those hanged on the trees along the way. He forces himself to look ahead. No more glances at Zayn.

The flag goes down and the engines roar as everyone takes off. Harry remembers the route, much like everyone around. And he won’t try to even see what the others have. It’s like he has one competitor, and even that isn’t that important right now. He needs to win. And to win, he needs to focus on himself before the others.

His bike is fast, Louis’ adjustments with the tyres are making it more adaptable to the hard, uneven surface. He doesn’t miss how everyone slows down except for three bikes, Zayn is one of them, jumping off the hill in a high speed and landing on the ground on both tyres while another stumbles and falls, the last losing his control on the bike and going off-track. Harry just wants to know what type of adjustment Zayn makes to his bike to be like that, but he doesn’t speed up, he continues on his way normally, and he is catching up in the even-ground area before the logs and the creek beds, and he knows he has to speed up if he wanted to go there first. It’s just one round and he doesn’t want to lose.

A flash of green covers his side view and he speeds up. The green bike also speeds up, and Harry isn’t in the perfect time to avoid a log so he takes a turn, making the green bike go ahead. Harry curses under his breath as the black bike rushes through the creek beds followed by the green bike, and he should’ve known. Zayn and Liam are friends, of course Liam would block his way for Zayn to go first. Not like he wasn’t going to be first. But Harry can’t lose his temper, he speeds up again, slowing down once he reaches the creek beds.

The narrow route is tricky, and probably, if the race wasn’t postponed and the riders weren’t given a chance to train through it, many would have failed to go through despite the short time each was given to train. And Harry didn’t get the chance to see how Zayn maneuvers through it, but god, to see him this close, in such a high speed, twisting his handlebars quickly and passing through efficiently, Harry might have stuttered in one twist or two.

But even though Liam is skilled, Harry manages to get past him. And while Zayn doesn’t seem to care about if Liam is following him or not, the latter seem to glance at Harry every now and then. Harry doesn’t care either. He just focuses on passing Zayn.

Zayn seems to notice him approaching, Harry can see his helmet moving to the side slightly as he glances in the mirror for a second before he looks ahead again. And maybe Harry should’ve known that Zayn is up to something, but he’s a natural, and the drift he makes as he speeds up at the end makes Harry’s hand itch to press at the breaks already, but thankfully, he doesn’t. He speeds up as well, and while he still has his theory on Zayn’s bike being extra light yet very enduring, it certainly doesn’t compare to his. Ed has paid lots of money to get him and his bike here, and he sees the ending line, but there’s space, too much space.

Harry comes second to Zayn. _Again_.

Ed isn’t the one who approaches him this time as he comes to a stop and removes his helmet. It’s Niall, wearing a smile on his face and Harry stares at Zayn for a moment as he takes off his helmet as well before turning to Niall.

“You’re not angry for the first time”

“What do you mean? Weren’t you the one who told me that as long as I stay in the tournament, I can still beat him for the championship?”

“That’s not what I said” Niall leans on the bike, and Harry gives him an impatient look. “You’re not angry …” He repeats, “You’re more like … Acknowledging the fact that he’s good. And not just in racing” He smirks, and this time, Harry gives him a confused look. “Come on, Harry. You’ve clearly grown an interest. His skills and attitude is one, but … You’re interested in something else”

“The hell are you talking about?” Harry scoffs.

“It’s not like you haven’t been with guys before”

“You’ve lost your mind” Harry laughs, “It was _one_ time, one _drunken mistake_. With an _omega_ ” He shakes his head, “Besides, he’s …” He looks over at Zayn, “Just look at him. Arrogant, skillful, pretty-“

“You just called him pretty”

“Shut up” Harry glares at him, “He’s your typical alpha” He gets off the bike, “And I’m not taking an interest in him”

“Sure” Niall smiles as Ed approaches them.

“Tough luck. You came second. It’s still good”

“Yeah” Harry mumbles.

“Not what you imagined, huh?” Harry presses his lips tightly together and looks to his side, but not at Zayn’s team, he’s not going to. “Being the top student and the charming prince isn’t always present” He turns to Ed again, “You’re not young. It’s a big wild world. You’re not the only alpha around” He taps his chin up, “It’s not over. We’ll be training tomorrow, so be ready. No drinks, no girls” He looks over at Niall who raises both of his hands. Ed nods at them then turns to leave.

“Didn’t say no boys” Niall whispers from behind him and Harry rolls his eyes. He’s _not_ interested in Zayn.

///

Harry sleeps well, better than he imagined, probably because Niall didn’t wake him up with cold water dropped on his face or shouting in his ears. Ed also hasn’t called him, and he frowns at his alarm clock when he sees it’s almost noon. There’s a message from Niall on his phone, and he quickly opens it.

_-Ed says to meet him in the main track by night. You’re going to kiss the shit out of him ;)_

Harry laughs at the text and flops back on his bed. If Ed is postponing his training and Niall is telling him this right now, he can’t wait to know what he had planned.

///

Once he enters the track, the empty seats by his side, the comfortable silence around him, and he spots Ed, Niall, his team, and Louis. Louis is the first who notices him and smirks at him while raising two fingers at him.

“What is this about?” He narrows his eyes at Ed around a smile and greets Louis.

“This is me spending lots of money on you” Ed replies.

“Sugar Daddy” Niall mouths at him and Harry shakes his head with a laugh.

“Excited?” Louis asks with the same smirk, probably noticing that Harry is already fidgeting.

“Very” He replies and Ed nods to the side where his team has been examining his bike. It’s his bike, but not quite, shining under the track’s light more than it usually does, and maybe Harry is imagining, but it looks modified. “Fuck” He whispers under his breath before turning to Ed, “Do I get to try it tonight?”

“Why else would I call you?”

“Sick” He replies, turning back to his bike and tracing his fingers on its surface.

“Careful” Ed comes to his side, “I don’t want you to get too overwhelmed” Harry nods at him. “C’mon … Get your suit on while Louis does a final check” Harry nods for a second time and turns towards the lockers.

When he’s back, Louis is setting on the bench with Niall while Ed stands next to his bike. He’s surprised that Ed is allowing Louis to watch him train since he’s also serving other clients who happen to be his opponents, but he puts his helmet on, and Ed gives him a thumbs up as he gets his bike going, hearing the strong roar of the engine, feeling the blood rushing into his veins like it’s the first time he’s trying a bike. He hears Niall cheering on him from the bench and he lifts his foot off the ground, surprised at the sudden speed of the small push.

 _“A real monster, innit?”_ Ed’s voice comes through his earset and he whistles. _“Gonna be a real drag for the sharp corners. Luck is definitely on your side since it’s only round corners you’re facing in the next race”_

“I’m up for a challenge” Harry replies as he speeds up around a corner, losing control and hitting the ground. He stays in his place for a minute, Ed comes to his view with a look of disapproval on his face.

“Sometimes, I think I made the wrong decision taking you in”

Harry sighs and closes his eyes. “I didn’t damage anything, right?”

“No, but you’re still an annoying little shit”

“Sorry” He mumbles an apology.

“How many times do I have to remind you that-”

“I’m my own self” Harry finishes for him. “I know, and I’m sorry. I just thought I’d give it a try”

“ _He_ is different” Ed tells him sternly and Harry has to avoid his gaze as he hears this lecture again, “You don’t know what kind of training he might have undergone”

“It makes him better” Harry mumbles and looks up at Ed, still giving him that look of disapproval.

“Until you’re out of my care, I’ll decide what you’ll do, Styles” Harry sits up and huffs a breath. “One more mistake and I’ll make Louis disassemble your bike!” He yells as he walks away and Harry stands to his feet with a frown, adjusting his helmet and pulling his bike back up. “And I mean it, Styles!” He yells at him again and Harry rolls his eyes. It’s still unfair how Zayn can go at top speed around the corners and he can’t.

“It means more points for me if I can master it!” He shouts back. “And I’m my own self! I get to decide what I do and don’t!”

Ed stops and turns to him. “You done?”

Harry doesn’t reply, getting back on his bike and hearing the engine roar again.

///

The seats are full today, and Harry feels like a complete asshole by the way he acted the past three days towards Ed. He’s a civilized adult, not an animal who lets his instincts take over, and even if Ed doesn’t show how much he’s affected by it, Harry knows he is. So he doesn’t look at the first contestant who gets in the track, just walks towards Ed and offers his apology.

“I’m sorry” Ed hums, not turning to him and Harry takes a deep breath, “I was not supposed to snap at you and order you around, that’s not me, you’re my trainer, and I really appreciate you helping me”

Ed does turn to him then, looking over him with a blank expression. “You’re damaging yourself not me”

“Ah, please” Niall pops in, a smile on his face to ease the tension, “The pros of being an alpha” He points at Harry’s body, “Not a single sore muscle, you lucky fucker” Harry laughs at him and shakes his head, “But … You did get what you want, eventually”

Harry glances at Ed when Niall says it, a worried expression on his face, but Ed smile and turns his head towards the track, “That, you did”

“I already said I’m sorry!” Harry whines, “Plus, it made me better, didn’t it?”

Ed isn’t looking at him when he replies, “It made you less of an asshole, more of an arrogant shit” He looks at him from the corner of his eyes, a serious gaze locking with him, “Get your arrogant ass on the bench” Harry opens his mouth to protest, a crease already forming between his brows, but he sighs when Niall tugs at his arm, closing his mouth and following Niall instead.

“He doesn’t have a short temper” He whispers to him, “Ed is a good guy”

“Of course you’re on his side” Harry mumbles.

“Where would have you been without him?” And that really shuts Harry up, reminding himself that he isn’t letting his inner alpha surface, he is not an animal, he’s a civilized adult. He should remind himself of that more often, that even if Ed is a beta, he’s still his trainer, his friend, and Niall is right. Ed was the one who dragged his arrogant ass to the top and he shouldn’t deny it.

“Would you also say that I was right?” He snaps back, because he knows this one is at least true. For once, taking control of what he does in his training should be allowed. He’s more aware of his opponents, his bike, his own abilities, and the feeling he gets on track. Ed didn’t try it, not once.

Niall hums, and Ed turns to them with an annoyed expression making Niall shrug. “Gotta give it to the guy. He made progress”

Ed huffs and shakes his head, “I’m never paying for your bike’s enhancements again”

“He will” Niall whispers to him.

“I said I’m sorry!”

“Your half assed apology?” Ed turns to them.

“You want me to run around this track naked or something to take it as an apology?”

Ed turns to the track again, “Oh … Here comes your favorite boy”

Harry rolls his eyes, almost saying that Zayn isn’t his ‘favorite boy’ but doesn’t, because Niall would only tease him more about it. But it does make him shut up and focus all of his attention on the black bike. He doesn’t look thrilled, never does, doesn’t even look like he has competition, and Harry doesn’t blame him for it, not when he’s been on a winning streak since the very beginning. He’s at too much ease when he puts on his helmet and gets on his bike, and Harry tries to keep his gaze from descending across his back, making a frown appear on his face. Since when he wanted to drag his gaze over Zayn’s body anyway?

The signal for Zayn to go is on, and he launches forward, his speed and agility are as good as always, and it gets Harry to lean forward on the bench. Niall nudges him with his elbow and Harry shoots him an annoyed glance. He does it again and it makes him groan, leaning back in his seat to glare at Niall who just smirks at him, nodding towards Ed, and Harry gives him a confused look before he’s turning to see the smirk on Ed’s face, and he’d probably missed something Zayn did, but Ed never looked at Zayn racing like that. It makes his heart pound faster as he drags his gaze back on the track. Zayn finishes, taking his helmet off and retreating to his bench. The crowd is cheering for him, the black biker who never loses, and if Harry wasn’t his opponent, he might have been one of them. His score is showed on the board with his face, the camera following him around, and Harry stares a little too much at the way he looks up at the board, a smirk on his face, eyelashes heavy and thick above his amber eyes as the commentator praises his score, a ‘record-breaking future champion’ that keeps Harry on edge.

“Ready?” Ed brings him out of his trance and Harry nods, getting on his feet and exhaling slowly through his mouth. He sometimes doesn’t know it it’s for the best or the worst that he gets to race after Zayn.

The track is his for the day, no one to startle him, no hurdles, just nothing. Him and his bike all alone. He remembers his fight with Ed every time he falls, his medical team checking for injuries, his bike back at Louis’ garage for fixing because he was reckless and didn’t listen to anyone but his own brain telling him to be himself. Ed’s smirk and Niall’s smile make him take a deep breath as he waits for the sign to switch to green so he can finally launch forward.

The track is familiar, and for the first time as he lowers his speed at the round corner, switching it to high again once he passes and hearing the engine sound ring in his ears above anything else, he doesn’t think of a black bike.

When he’s back at the finish line, hands reaching up to take off his helmet, he doesn’t look at the score board, hearing the crowd cheer loudly for him, he looks directly at Zayn, the confused wide eyes as he stares up at the board then fixes his glare on Harry, and Harry holds his place, still on his bike as Zayn approaches him for the first time, and it makes a smirk stretch on his lips when he stands in front of him, hazel orbs staring him down in utter hatred and anger, so Harry straightens up a bit, matching his level.

“Don’t be too happy about it, Styles. It’s just one round on you”

“Oh? Well, I have a feeling it won’t be just one”

“Please” He scoffs, “You had an empty track …” He glances at his bike, “And apparently a new toy”

“Hey!” Harry snaps at him, leaning forward again, “A bike and a biker are one. As long as you know how to control it”

But Harry knows, Zayn is irritated Harry got a higher score than him, he cut his winning streak, and he has a better ride that him, and Zayn won’t be approaching him if he didn’t care, if he knew he can win the next round, and it makes the smirk on Harry’s face grow. Zayn doesn’t reply to him, doesn’t congratulate him -of course- on his score. He just stares at him with a glare, and Harry can smell the smoke, the heavy cologne he’s wearing, and once he turns, Harry’s smirk almost falls, almost doesn’t notice the camera zooming on them, because he smells a faint omega scent on Zayn, and not just any omega, the same one he’s smelled on the hallway, his neighbor’s door, and Harry’s brain tries to remember who lives there but fails. It makes his stomach churn, and he isn’t sure why. Zayn is handsome, has this domination aura surrounding him, skillful, and surely he’s mated, apparently to this special omega. Harry forces his brain to work again on anything else other than Zayn and how he’s mated to an omega, but his brows furrow as Zayn comes to a stop on front of Louis, staring at him with something unreadable in his eyes before he’s turning on his heels and heading back to his team. Harry guesses everyone knows about Louis and he’s just pissed that Harry got the first-class-engine.

“Hey Styles!” Ed shouts at him, and he turns to see him grinning. “Drinks on me!”

///

He is not quite drunk when he takes two omega girls with him tonight, and he knows Niall will tease him about being a sex freak in the morning but he doesn’t care. He feels amazing, and he’ll do what he wants for tonight. The winning round makes his blood rush, and he doesn’t even feel tired at midnight when the girls leave.

There’s that scent again in the hallway, and even the girls notice, whispering to each other after glancing at his neighbor’s door. They wink at him when they reach the elevator and Harry smirks back, his mind quickly filling with his neighbor and the omega as soon as the elevator’s door close. He wants to do something stupid, like knocking on their door for any silly excuse, just to know who is she, why her scent was on Zayn, and if they were mated, how come he never sees Zayn here?

He sighs and decides against it, closing the door and heading to the bathroom for a hot shower.

It doesn’t stop his thoughts though, and he blames it on Niall for ever making the idea of him liking Zayn, another alpha, the one he despises most, and his competitor, pop up inside his head.

He flops on the bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling, a loose towel around his waist, his hair dripping on the pillow, and his fingers drum on his abdomen for a while until he takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. He is restless though, and as any other alpha, he’s intrigued by the omega scent in the hallway, so he allows his hand to travel lower, removing the towel and slowly grabbing his dick. He relaxes into the mattress, thinking of the two omegas he just had sex with, how good it felt, their smooth skin, their loud moans, hand teasing his length as he starts stroking himself, the scent of the unknown omega coming to him again making him bite his lips and speeds up a bit. He thinks of familiar big eyes, long eyelashes, hazel orbs, and he frowns, opening his eyes and staring up at the ceiling again, hand pausing on his dick. He is _not_ thinking about Zayn while he masturbates to his mate. Shit. What the fuck is he doing?

He groans, looking down at his hard dick and groaning again. It’s not going to slide down again, he knows himself, so he continues stroking his dick, staring at it to not allow his mind to think about something else, _someone_ else. And he curses under his breath as he speeds up again, blaming Niall for the hundred and one time, and he rests his head back, raven hair coming to his mind this time, and he doesn’t try to stop it, just lets his body have this since it feels so good.

He allows his mind to drift to Zayn, how he always has his body covered in thick black leather layers. How his beard look like and how it would feel against his jaw. His chest heaves with short breaths as he slides his thumb over the tip and feels the pre-cum dripping out, thinking of Zayn’s glaring eyes, his plump lips. Would he be looking at him? Would he drop to his knees in front of him? How would his lips feel stretched out and wet around him, and a moan escapes him as he brings his other hand to fondle his balls. But Zayn doesn’t seem the type to be on his knees, never the one surrendering, never the sub, and maybe Harry would be the one on his knees. He doesn’t mind one bit, the thought terrifying him, but he doesn’t let his brain process much of it, just keeps going, remembering the first encounter he had with Zayn, how he called him a girl, and in a crazy second as he squeezes his balls, maybe that’s to his advantage. If Zayn thinks he’s a girl, then maybe they can work, Zayn’s omega mate thrown away, Harry would make sure she’s thrown away.

“Fuck” He curses under his breath, imagining what would Zayn’s body look under those black layers, wishes he can lay him down on his bed. Or not, Zayn might be the one who lays him down, and Harry would be on his hands and knees for him. He trails a finger down, just above his crack, and he doesn’t know how it would feel, he’s never the one being penetrated, it’s an alien thought, an unfamiliar feeling, and he doesn’t know how he should do it exactly. Maybe Zayn would be his first.

He moans louder, spilling his load all over his hand and stomach, and his hands slide to his sides again, eyes opening slowly to stare down at himself. He can’t believe he just had a better orgasm thinking about being fucked by none other than a mated alpha who happens to be his opponent and also someone who hates him instead of actually having sex with two omegas not that long ago.

He doesn’t know what to do with that. Maybe he’s still drunk.

///

Harry wishes his head was dizzy with hangover, or there’s some omega sleeping in his bed that he forgot about. Just anything to prove last night didn’t happen. But he’s alone on his bed, there’s a towel with his dried cum on the floor, and his pillow is still wet from his hair that he didn’t dry properly, the edges are curling around his face, and he pushes them back, groaning as he stretches out his limbs, then getting up.

He busies himself with adjusting his hair, ruffling it like he always does so it falls at his sides. Pulling his skinnies on as he listens to Niall’s drunken voice note then Ed’s, telling him that he doesn’t have to wake up early today either, and that he’ll fill him up on the details during dinner, a special treat for his winning. He gets his boots next, the silver ones that Niall hates because they’re too shiny for daylight. Putting a printed blue shirt over his head and sliding his phone and wallet in his pockets before he gets his keys. He reckons that Niall is still asleep by now, and he smiles. He’s gonna throw some ice on his back to make him jump out of bed screaming. It’s so gonna make him laugh.

The hallway has some familiar faces, and he furrows his brows as he sees a tall black guy, squinting his eyes at his face. He knows him, he’s the one that was with Zayn before, the alpha in his team. But that’s not what he’s mostly focusing on. He sees a shorter guy with feathery brown hair, and he immediately recognizes him, the loud yelling coming from him afterwards definitely has him shocked as he pushes the black guy backwards. From his stumbling steps, Harry knows he’s drunk, so he steps forward to push the guy back when he tries to get to Louis.

“Hey!” He warns the guy before turning to Louis, “Is everything alright?”

“Just …” Louis sighs, the glare in his eyes fading away as he fiddles with the key in his hand.

“That’s my house you’re breaking into!” The black guy shouts, pushing Harry’s hand away.

“Just keep him away” Louis finishes as he puts the key into the lock and opening the door, and Harry looks at his back in confusion. Why is Louis breaking into his neighbor’s flat? How come it’s the first time he knows that one of Zayn’s team lives next door? And why the strong smell of that omega makes him stop thinking once Louis opens the door?

“Wait …” Harry tries to call after Louis, but he’s being ignored. The door isn’t closed though, and the guy tries to push past Harry into his apartment, which gives Harry another thought. What if he wasn’t living here? What is Louis’ relationship with the omega? Will someone tell him anything?

The guy huffs an irritated breath, drunkenly making his way into the apartment, making Louis turn.

“Sorry, Griff” Louis apologizes before he slams the door in his face, the latter falling to the ground in his dizzy state with a broken nose. God. What is Harry supposed to do?

Louis sighs, turning to get inside the house once more leaving the door open, and Harry glances between the two for a moment before he decides to leave the guy -Griff- on the ground tending to his broken nose, and go after Louis. At least he’s someone he knows, right?

The scent is getting stronger, and he thinks it’s what made him go inside in the first place. Just knowing who this omega is, how she looks like, if she’s indeed Zayn’s mate, if she deserves him- He should stop his thoughts there as he frowns to himself.

“Lou?”

Harry blinks at the soft sound, a familiar tone that makes him blink again as he takes the omega’s appearance, finally face to face, meeting them in flesh. A towel in their hand to dry their short black hair, falling softly on their face, the big hazel orbs, the small frame in just tight shorts, almost Louis’ height with similar body, only sharper and softer somehow. His brain is going through a million thought as he freezes in his place, their eyes meeting his and widening for some more, and Harry would be lying if he said his dick didn’t take interest, but he’s too shocked to actually adjust his pants to even try to hide his erection. It would be normal, and alpha and an omega, but it’s definitely not proper. However, a bright thought squeezes past all of his thoughts, throwing them aside as it taps repeatedly on his head, and all Harry can do is blink yet again at the figure standing in front of him, his mouth hanging open with wide eyes himself, the thought on his mind screaming at him over and over and over again. It’s the only fact that Harry’s brain is able to process right now.

_Zayn isn’t an alpha._

 


	2. One

Wide eyes turn into a glare, and while Harry is still in shock to say anything, Zayn beats him to it, turning to Louis with a furious expression on his face and yells at him.

“The fuck is he doing here?!”

Louis turns to Harry, “Oh yeah, meet your new neighbor,” He spreads a hand at Harry, “Harry Styles”

Zayn opens his mouth to say something, eyes narrowing at Harry and Louis simultaneously, but he isn’t the one that Harry hears talking, it’s rather another familiar voice coming from behind him.

“Um, guys?” Harry turns to see Liam at the door, holding a drunk Griff by his side, “Am I missing something?” He glances between all three of them, and then Harry feels a hand gripping his elbow, Louis’ to be exact.

“I don’t think Griff will do us any harm.” Louis waves his other hand at Liam, “Just take this one out.” He then looks at Harry and whispers, “If you dare to speak about any of this, I’ll make sure that neither you nor your bike are fit for competition ever again.” He smiles at him, and it’s not the friendly smile he’d always give Harry before he’s stepping back and Liam pulling him out.

///

“Why did you follow me here?! And why the hell did you bring him along?!” Louis sighs and closes his eyes as Zayn continues to shout, “Do you have any idea about what you just did?!”

“Do you?!” Louis shouts back, opening his eyes and turning to Zayn, “It was one fucking loss and you run away?”

“You helped him win!”

“We had an agreement!” Louis steps closer, pointing a finger at him, “I remember very vividly that you were the one who told me to do it.” He quietens his voice, “Who was the one who told me to use my abilities no matter who it was I’m helping because it keeps us living? Because it provides you with drugs to hide your scent?” Zayn looks away, “And who was the one who built you your very first bike and got you into the tournament without a medical checkup?” He sighs again, “He paid for parts that I can’t normally have laying in my garage, and even you were excited about seeing them.”

“Not after I’ve seen who you put them on for.” Zayn turns to him again.

“Doesn’t matter what you put unless they have skills … Theses were _your_ words … God, You’ve never acted like this before when facing a new opponent.” Louis shakes his head, spreading his arms around him, “And then coming here?! Have you gone mad?!”

“Griff-”

“Griff is a great friend and an amazing teammate, but not when he’s drunk at the morning and you’re approaching your heat!” Zayn opens his mouth to argue, but he shakes his head instead, turning his head away again. “Go get dressed up, we’re leaving” Zayn looks up at him, “I won’t take no for an answer. There’s no way I’m leaving you here. You can continue being mad at me at our flat. And just for your information, you owe Harry, he helped getting Griff out of the way, and no, it was mere coincidence … I didn’t know he was living here, and I’m sorry if you’re exposed, but he’s not saying a word. I can promise you that.” Louis stares at Zayn then motions towards the bedroom, “C’mon, I don’t have the whole day. I have business to attend to.” He crosses his arms over his chest, “I hate your hormones sometimes.”

Zayn rubs his face with his hands and groans before dropping his hands and looking at Louis again. “I’m sorry.” He mumbles.

“No, that’s not an apology for getting me worried after shutting down your phone.” Louis shakes his head, “You’re going to be driving my sister from and to school, and do her shopping for an entire week.” Zayn frowns and puts his hands on his hips, but Louis nods his head towards the bedroom, “Do I really need to repeat myself?”

///

“Hey, man.” Niall greets him as he slumps down into his chair, his order already in hand, and he doesn’t even glance at Harry when he greets him, just grabs the ketchup bottle and squeezes some on top of his fries. Harry didn’t make it early for Niall to wake him up with an ice bucket dropped on his back, but he swears he’s going to do it in the next few days, unless Niall beats him to it, he’d probably throw mud on him next. Liam didn’t talk much after dragging him out, just kept staring at him, telling him that he’s no longer needed, and possibly threatening him with a smile that he doesn’t tell anyone about Zayn. _Zayn_. The one who kept his jaw falling for several minutes after the incident. The one that he now knows masturbated to his scent, which is something he’s not telling Niall about, _ever_. He’s not going to give Niall that satisfaction.

“Zayn is an omega.”

Niall pauses his movements, eyes trailing slowly upwards until they meet Harry’s. “What?”

“He’s an omega”

“And how did you know this?” Niall narrows his eyes at him.

“He’s-” He sighs, “I’ve been smelling this scent for a while now, a _female_ omega scent, just across the hall, coming from my neighbor’s flat, and I didn’t know who it belonged to until this morning,” Harry leans forwards on the table, forearms resting on it, “Remember that black guy from Zayn’s team?”

“You know all of Zayn’s teammates?” Niall raises his brows.

“No, I just …” Harry furrows his brows, “I’ve seen him with him once or twice.” He shrugs, “The point is … He lives next door, and Zayn was there with him, and his scent was strong, and I’ve seen him there …” Niall furrows his brows at him, slowly grabbing a fry and putting it in his mouth, “And you have to promise me you won’t tell anyone cause I’m pretty sure I’ll be dead afterwards …” Harry looks away and thinks about it for a minute.

“So the black guy-”

“Griff” Harry interrupts him, “Louis called him Griff.”

“Wait … Louis?!”

“Yeah, he was there and …” H waves around with his hand, “Hit Griff in the face with the door until Liam came. He’s was shit drunk.” Harry watches as Niall nods slowly, taking another fry and putting it in his mouth. “He was so mad at Zayn, I can tell that.” Harry raises a finger, “Like … I don’t know … I feel like there’s something between them. I mean, that look he gave Louis back at the race, and now this … I just-” Niall looks at him with a steady gaze as he sips his drink enthusiastically. “Why are you giving me this look?”

“Because this is a great drama show.”

“Niall.” Harry warns him, but Niall sits back in his seat.

“A great plot twist, really”

“Ni.” Harry tries again.

“So are you jealous?”

Harry opens his mouth and closes it, seeing the eyebrow wiggle Niall gives him, and he replies with monotone, “Seriously?”

Niall shrugs. “So here’s my theory,” he clears his throat, “Louis is probably Zayn’s boyfriend, or mate, and Zayn has an affair going on with Griff, but Louis finds out, and in his furious mode, goes to Griff’s flat, finds Zayn there, knocks Griff down for messing up with his property, then calls his bodyguard to clean this mess up, which is Liam, obviously, who might be also in an affair with Zayn, I mean, who knows?” He shrugs, picking up fries to portray each member, “But you show up, and Zayn is in an alpha competition, and they threaten you, and I’m pretty sure they’re capable of doing some serious damage since they knew how to put Zayn inside the competition in the first place, and hiding his scent so far effectively. And you, poor you,” Harry furrows his brows at that, “Had to see your crush caught in a love triangle,” Niall tilts his head to the side, “or is it a square? Or maybe-”

“This doesn’t make any sense!”

“Hey!” Niall points a fry at him, “You’ll see that I’m right eventually.” Harry rolls his eyes, “But right now, eat your breakfast, cause I have some cool stuff to show you.” Niall smirks and starts eating again, and maybe Harry is glad he’s changing the topic because he doesn’t want to think about Niall’s theory being right. So he eats.

///

Harry closes his eyes and rests his head back while Niall drives, loud rock music blasting through his ears, and then there’s a sudden stop making him snap his eyes open and turn to Niall as he lowers the volume down.

“Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

Niall furrows his brows, “I think I heard a crash sound.” He turns to Harry with a worried expression and they both exit the car. Niall points at the side of the woods, “I think it was from there. It’s definitely a rider, I can tell.” He nods as Harry comes to stand next to him. “We should probably check them out.”

“They wouldn’t be alone in the woods.” Harry then freezes, turning his face to Niall and closing his eyes as Niall’s lips come to form a smirk.

“Who would be brave enough to get inside that part of the woods?”

“Just …” Harry exhales slowly, “Don’t.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Niall raises his hands up as he lowers his voice, already walking into the woods.

“I hate you.” Harry mumbles and opens his eyes as he follows Niall. There’s another noise, like someone is trying to get the bike up and failing as it hits the ground again, a hiss of pain, and then Niall is stopping, grinning widely, and Harry rolls his eyes before he gets past Niall and sees the situation.

“You know, I wouldn’t go into the woods without my team if I was a smart rider.” Niall starts, but Harry almost laughs when Zayn doesn’t even acknowledge their presence, cursing at the phone in his hands. Niall turns his head to him slowly, “Forgot to mention he’s an asshole.” He points his thumb at Zayn, “I mean … Being a male omega can mess with your hormones sometimes.” Harry’s eyes widen, but it gets Zayn to stop what he’s doing, narrowing his eyes at Niall before glaring at Harry, and Niall simply turns his head back at Zayn, keeps his smile as he extends his hand, and Zayn just looks at it, “Niall Horan. Someone who is not an asshole and would probably offer help since you can’t move.” Harry exhales sharply, furrowing his brows as he takes Zayn’s appearance. His leg seems to be twisted as the bike is clearly damaged, and once he gets a better look at Zayn’s phone when he drops it to his lap, it appears to be dead.

But Harry won’t be the mean side, not now, not when Zayn is clearly injured and is in need of help, and Niall would definitely bug him about this for eternity, but he steps forwards, getting his phone out.

“Niall has his car. We can carry you back to it then call someone to get your bike.”

“Harry can drive you, I don’t mind.” Niall turns his head briefly at him to wink, and Harry is actually surprised that Niall doesn’t take this opportunity to piss him off, “I’ll call a friend to come get your bike.”

“Because obviously I’ll trust you with my bike.” Zayn’s tone is light, but he’s keeping his glare, and he hisses again suddenly, making Niall narrow his eyes slightly at him, slowly turning to look at Harry, and Harry knows why, it’s a strong sudden scent, and Harry doesn’t need to be told to know that Zayn is close to his heat. He really doesn’t know if he should stay or run away.

“You need help, pal.” Niall tells him, and his tone isn’t teasing anymore, “And we’re the only ones on this road, have been for a while.” He pulls out his own phone, and Harry can’t believe how Zayn’s features softens as he looks up at Niall’s phone, taking a shaky breath in and glancing at his bike.

“Just … Call Louis.” Niall taps at his phone, but it’s not on, and Harry gives Niall a look of disbelief. Zayn sighs however, defeated as he looks away, and Harry swears there’s a blush on his cheeks. “Please.”

Harry doesn’t stay, because Niall doesn’t let him stay once he dials Louis, making him walk back to the car. And he waits there, waits until he sees Liam’s car in view, and Louis is there with him. He doesn’t stay until they bring Zayn back because Niall is back inside the car once Louis and Liam are with Zayn. He doesn’t start the car right away though, a look on his face that Harry doesn’t see very often is present as he stares ahead of him.

“You could smell it as a beta … It’s not even a normal female omega scent.”

It’s all he says before starting the car again and driving away. Harry can’t agree more.

///

Harry doesn’t have his bike, it’s in Louis’ garage, doing some adjustments for the next race, and Niall has gone on ‘some days off’ as he told him, taking the car with him and promising to be back on his next training day, and since Ed is normally busy, he’s stuck with no ride for a couple more days. He doesn’t mind the early walk to the coffee shop, but he certainly doesn’t like the afternoon time, when he has to pass by a high-school, the crowded entrance, students on both sides of the road, the sigh he makes every time an omega girl would stop in front of him and he has to decline because they’re all underage, the alpha boys who remind him of himself sometimes, and he tries to walk faster, avoid them all, when he spots something very interesting next to the entrance gate.

_Scratch everything he said. Maybe he likes his walk next to the school._

Harry would never mistake the black bike anywhere. And Zayn’s there, serving the looks of a badass biker he is with his black leather attire, stomping on his cigarette before he’s glancing over the students, like he’s waiting for someone in particular, and Harry’s legs move on their own, becoming closer and closer until Zayn’s eyes snap his way, aware of his presence now, face cold like always, but Harry still smiles at him, even goes to greet him, the vulnerable image of him lying next to his bike still present in his mind. Zayn doesn’t reply though, just keeps looking at him with the same uninterested look he’d give Harry each time their eyes meet, which isn’t that plenty by the way.

“So, how’s your leg?”

“If you think it’d stop me from entering the next race, you’re wrong.”

Harry narrows his eyes at him, “I was just making sure you’re alright.”

“Didn’t know you became my best friend suddenly.”

“Wow, you definitely passed your heat.”

Zayn looks alert for a second before he’s back to glaring at Harry, opening his mouth for a retort, but he’s being cutoff by a squeak of his name, and he has not enough time to turn around before a girl is hugging him, an omega, Harry could tell, shorter than him with tanned skin and silver hair.

“Oh my gosh, when Louis told me you’d be my ride for the week I couldn’t believe it.” She pulls back, smiling, “I barely see you since you started that tournament.” She hits his shoulder lightly, and Harry is shocked for a moment to see Zayn smiling so softly at her. She looks at Harry, still smiling, then she looks at Zayn with a raise of her brows.

“C’mon. We should be going.” Zayn nods his head towards his bike, but the girl doesn’t move, clearing her throat as she turns to Harry again.

“It would be very rude not to introduce me to your hot alpha friend.”

“He’s not my-”

“Harry Styles,” Harry extends his arm with a smile, “Nice to meet you.”

“Charlotte Tomlinson,” she smiles brightly at him as she shakes his hand, “it’s not everyday that Zayn brings a friend along.”

“He’s not-” Zayn tries again.

“You’re Louis’ sister? I didn’t know he had any siblings.”

“Because he wouldn’t let me meet any of his clients.” She rolls her eyes. “I’ve seen every race so far,” she glances at Zayn, “I’m a big fan,” she whispers, and Harry can see the displeased look Zayn is having on his face.

“Lottie,” he calls, “we should be going.”

“But I was planning to do some shopping,” she pouts at him, “besides, you can’t just ditch your friend like that.”

“He’s not a friend.” Zayn finally says it, nearly being over the edge and trying desperately not to scream somehow.

“I was just walking past that Versace store nearby and they’re having a huge sale if you want to check it out.” Harry points behind him.

Charlotte gapes at him, “I should totally take you with me instead of Zayn.”

“Lottie.” Zayn’s warning tone comes again accompanied with sharp eyes, but she totally ignores him.

“It’s a walking distance, and I don’t really mind taking you there. Have nothing to do for the rest of the day.”

“Perfect!” Charlotte grins at him.

Harry turns to Zayn and smiles, “You’re allowed to accompany us if you want.”

“Right.” Zayn narrows his eyes at him, “Because I would leave the two of you alone.”

Charlotte elbows Zayn and whispers, “Are you for real?” And once Harry turns around he’s sure he hears her asking, “Is he single?” And he definitely hears Zayn’s groan.

Zayn’s glare is present during most of the time, and he’s silent unless Charlotte speaks to him, and it might not be a first, but seeing Zayn sort of obedient with Charlotte gives him satisfaction.

///

The track is wet, and Ed tells him that the weather might be rainy on the race date alongside the already wet track so he got Louis to adjust his tyres. And Niall is back, giving him too much looks that irritates him because he saw him once in front of the school and thought he was banging an underage girl, so Harry had to explain himself, and Niall hasn’t shut up about it ever since.

Ed nods at him to tell him that everything is set and he’s ready to go, and Niall comes quickly by his side.

“Hope you’re not worried, mate.”

Harry frowns, “Why would I be worried?”

“That Louis might have done something to your bike.” He motions at Harry’s bike making Harry freeze. “He wouldn’t though, he technically owes you, twice. And I doubt Zayn did anything to it either, he’s the ‘perfect competition’ kind of guy.”

Harry turns to him, “Thanks, Ni. Really eased my nerves there.”

“No need to be sarcastic.” Niall slaps his arm with an eye roll then steps closer. “Also, this is kind of a dangerous track to speed up, so don’t lose focus.”

“I’ll try my best.” Harry nods at him.

“And try not to think about Zayn in heat.” Harry throws a water bottle at him, but Niall just laughs after it hits him, walking away once Ed gives him a raise of his brow. He picks his helmet and gets on his bike, hearing Niall muffled laughs still from behind him, and really trying not to think about any of what Niall said. _Why is he friends with him again?_

“Most competitors won’t be speeding up,” Ed tells him as he approaches him, “so there’s no need for you to go over the edge.”

“You don’t know that.” Harry turns to him, “if Louis was able to adjust my tyres then why can’t I? Besides, I bet many competitors had their tyres adjusted too.”

“And by competitors you mean Zayn.” Harry presses his lips together at that, turning his head forwards again, because yes, he’s pretty sure Louis did something to Zayn’s tyres if not his bike altogether since he knows the two are close now with zero information on what kind of relationship they share. “Harry,” Ed gets his attention again, “he’s not your only opponent. Don’t let me remind you of what might happen if you got your eyes on one person only. You never know what any of them is hiding.”

“I know.” Harry closes his eyes and releases a breath through his mouth.

“Good.” He can feel Ed’s eyes at him for a moment before he’s walking away, and he opens his eyes afterwards, looking at the wet track in front of him, taking a deep breath before he’s closing his helmet and starting his bike.

Harry starts to speed up gradually, testing how far he can go with the new tyres. The bike feels heavy though as it moves, keeping him grounded more than anything, and he’s thankful for the engine Louis put before, because it’s not struggling much with the tyres and he’s making a rapid progress if he can say so himself. A smirk appears on his face as his speed starts to pick up some more, and he doesn’t hear Ed complaining in his ears, so he thinks he’s doing pretty well.

 _“Slow down, you’re going to hurt yourself.”_ _Spoke too soon_. But Harry just rolls his eyes, speeding up for some more, enjoying how the tyres are adapting very well to the wet track.

“Relax. I can feel the bike adapting to the track. I got this.”

 _“Styles.”_ Ed’s warning tone fills his ears.

“I know what I’m doing.”

 _“For god’s sake …”_ Ed sighs as Harry speeds up again, biting his bottom lip as he focuses on the round corner, but he doesn’t flip, he doesn’t fall to the ground, he passes it smoothly, and a big grin stretches on his face as he screams loudly.

“You were saying?”

Ed just sighs again.

///

It’s raining like Ed said, even if it’s lightly and they can still race while it’s raining, and the crowd is unbothered along with the rest of the competitors, and Harry glances at the crowd, at the first row, and he sees Charlotte there, isn’t exactly sure if she’s cheering for him or Zayn, but he still winks at her while Louis is out of sight, seeing her shy smile for a moment before turning his gaze down again and across the track where other teams are gathered. Zayn is there, narrowing his eyes at him, probably because he still thinks he’s after Charlotte. It doesn’t last long though, Zayn’s head is turning towards his team again, and Griff is there, standing very close to him, like the issue the other night was him coming home drunk at the morning not the possibility of him being raped. Harry doesn’t think about it though, doesn’t let it invade his mind any further as Niall raises up the foam fingers he bought to cheer on him with. It makes him chuckle and shake his head as he picks up his helmet, Ed giving him a thumbs up after patting his shoulders, and they’re gathered at the start line.

Liam is on Zayn’s left when they’re aligned, and there’s an unspoken sign they share, and Harry has the time to look at Zayn’s bike since he’s closer now, brows furrowing when he sees it’s exactly the same, no changes whatsoever, and he might have spent too much time staring at it that the countdown brings him back quickly to the present and he turns his head forwards, focusing on the track instead of wondering what Zayn might have got in his pockets.

The countdown ends and the race starts. Despite his previous predictions, not everyone seems adaptable to the track. High speed seems to be not an available option for plenty, and even though Harry can see Liam closely behind him, what really surprises him is that Zayn is also behind, not going at full speed like always and making the crowd go wild, and for a second, he actually worries if his injury is not yet healed. But it’s not his problem, and he’s not going to worry over someone who isn’t the least interested in him, so he focuses on the track again, speeding up, and earning a few surprised sounds from the judges. Normally, Louis would be smiling right now, but he doubts it.

There’s a turn in front of him, and he knows his speed isn’t that high, so he can pass it without slowing down, but like every time, something must catch him unguarded, or someone, that probably goes by the name of Zayn. Harry should have seen it coming, but in all of the predictions he made in his mind, none could match what he does right now.

He’s not speeding up by that much, only enough for the tyres to squeak against the wet ground, and if anyone saw it from afar, they’ll probably think Zayn is definitely falling to the ground. But not Harry. Because Zayn isn’t shaking on his bike, isn’t looking around, doesn’t look nervous, just does what he does like he’s done it a hundred times before, and he probably did. He makes the sudden turn add to his favor, using the extra speed it gives him compared to other competitors who try to evade him, try to guess where he might turn and fall, but he doesn’t turn and fall, like he calculated this move beforehand, knowing exactly when he must speed up for his bike to reach exactly where he wants it to be, and Harry is shocked, truly. He might have got multiple improvements on his bike and on himself, but Zayn looks like he’s been doing this since he was born. And it’s like he’s hearing Ed’s voice inside his head telling him not to give up yet, so he doesn’t let the moment take more than it should, speeding up and going after Zayn, seeing Zayn glancing at him briefly before he’s speeding up as well, like the start was nothing and he’s starting now, and Harry can take that, can consider this as his start as well, can consider Zayn as his only opponent in front of his eyes, can win this race too if he tried, because he won once against him, and he can do it again and again, can prove to Zayn that he should be counted as an equal competitor.

His bike is steady as he speeds up to catch up to Zayn as if the water beneath it is not a problem at all, but he’s not the only one doing so. Aside from the other competitors behind him, Liam is also speeding up to catch up to Zayn, reaching him quickly, and even makes Zayn glance his way too. And Harry can imagine their faces underneath their helmets, smiling with soft eyes, and he frowns for a second because why is he even imagining this now?

There’s another round turn, but this time, Zayn actually speeds up like he usually does, more than a normal biker should. But Zayn isn’t a normal biker, and Harry almost finds it ironic that Liam and Zayn turn at the same angle until he remembers that they train together. He sticks to his own though, doing what he learned to do his way, counting on his bike’s abilities to handle the wet ground and his skills to maneuver it through. He speeds up again once he passes the turn, and Zayn turns his head towards him for a second too long before he’s speeding up as well, leaving Liam and the other competitors behind them.

Harry can see the finish line, but he’s also aware of how his bike is much heavier than Zayn’s, and its resistance against the ground isn’t as slippery as it is with Zayn, helping him gain a push forward easily. And even though he has a better engine, the distance between him and Zayn is still the same, the one he gained from the first turn and the second helped to gape it more. It’s not speed. It’s not about how many adjustments he can make to his bike. It’s all like what Zayn said. Skill. And Zayn excels at that.

The crowd is cheering again for Zayn, and Harry is sure he’s gained them all by now. Zayn takes his helmet off, his satisfied smirk is present on his face, but it’s not on the big screen, and neither are the scoreboard which makes Harry confused for a moment, seeing the judges at their table whispering to themselves. And Zayn notices that too, glancing at the screen then at Liam, at Louis too, and he even gives Harry a quick glance as well, narrowing his eyes at him like he did something wrong, as if he caused this somehow.

 _“To all of our beloved crowd today, we’re terribly sorry as we’ve encountered a serious problem.”_ One of the judges announces. If they can’t tell, Harry made his calculations. Zayn arrived two seconds earlier than him, Liam is shortly right behind, and he’s sure that none of the other competitors arrived at the same time either. And the screen is on, nothing is wrong with it, making him worry even more and he doesn’t know why he should be worrying at all if he’s done nothing wrong.

 _“We’re terribly sorry to announce that this race is cancelled.”_ Harry furrows his brows, and he can tell that the crowd is angry too from their raising noises of disagreement. _“The results would not be counted, and another race would take place soon. We’ll inform you of the required information.”_

Harry can see Zayn’s confused look mouthing ‘what?’ as the judges approach him along with others. He also sees Liam leaving his helmet on his bike and going to Zayn with a concerned look on his face.

_“Contestant Zayn Malik is disqualified due to application forgery.”_

“Really?” Zayn says once they’ve gathered around him. “Is that all you got to disqualify me?”

“Faking your application must mean that you’re on illegal steroids.” One of the judges reply, “There’s no way an omega would reach this far on its own.” He gives him a look of disgust, and Zayn steps forwards with a glare. Voice quiet but stern.

“Are you really that much concerned about doing your job right that you worry about the contestants’ health and the legal documents? Or is it that you’re clearly displeased that I’ve beat all of your kind so far and put them to shame?”

“My kind that you pretended to be part of when you entered this competition.”

“Because you’re apparently all good people who follow the law.” Zayn replies sarcastically. “Terrified I would win eventually? That you’d have to deal with the fact that your kind lost to mine?”

The judge huffs a laugh. “Oh, please. You wouldn’t be able to without your precious drugs.”

“You’re seriously still on the steroids shit?!”

“You’re clearly on illegal drugs.” The judge replies, “Or do you want us to run a test and prove it?” Zayn clenches his fists by his sides, but Harry knows that whatever Zayn is taking is definitely not steroids. And since when was this even something to be disqualified for? “We’re the hosts of this competition, and what we say goes. So be the obedient omega you should be and leave this track before I force you out of it.”

Zayn goes to move again, but Liam is there to hold him back. “Zayn, let it go.”

“No, no, leave it be.” The judge waves with his hand at Liam, “I’ll be happy to demonstrate exactly why the likes of it shouldn’t engage in a physical activity with alphas.”

Liam pulls Zayn behind harshly before he gets to hit anyone, telling him to let it go once more, but Harry completely gets his anger, being disqualified for no other valid reason than being an omega and the whole organizing team approving it, being called ‘it’. And while Zayn doesn’t seem to care that anyone would know what classification he is, he obviously knew that getting into that competition would include something like that from the start, and even though Zayn was rude to him at the beginning and probably still, he doesn’t really seem to be the type to get into too much useless arguments. So Harry steps away from his bike and closer into the circle forming around them, probably to stop any more mean comments anyone would throw at Zayn, or just to be there in general. He doesn’t know if he’s moving to really aid Zayn since there’s nothing he can do right now, not when the conversation is over and Liam has already pulled Zayn away. Each get on their respective bikes and leave the track. But before they go, Harry sees Zayn extending an arm for Louis so he can jump behind him on the bike, and Liam stops for Charlotte to ride behind him too. Harry takes a glance among the bikers, wondering how Zayn’s secret got leaked.

///

“That retarded, dumbass, fucking shithole!”

Louis just watches calmly, arms crossed over his chest as he leans back over the wall with Charlotte next to him, watching Zayn curse and shout as he throws things around, and Charlotte doesn’t flinch when something actually breaks.

“I told you before signing up that he’s gonna be one of the judges.” Louis says.

“He thinks he owns the fucking world!” Zayn turns to him, “He barely knows what a swingarm is! And they fucking put him as a judge?!” Zayn clenches and unclenches his fists, chest still heaving as he looks around desperate to do something. “And he thinks he can disqualify me?” He glares at nothing in particular and shakes his head. “And humiliate me?” He kicks at the wall, turning around again and clenching his fists, but Liam takes his hit instead, forcing his hands down first before bringing him close to his chest and squeezing him. “I fucking hate him.” Zayn says at last on a broken voice and ducks his head, the tension leaving his body as he exhales deeply, and Louis finally moves from his place, placing a hand on Zayn’s shoulder, and Liam steps back, letting Zayn go so he can look at Louis instead.

“I’ll find something, alright?” Zayn stares at him for a moment and nods. “You wanna go with Liam?”

“No,” Zayn shakes his head, stepping backwards.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He points at his room, “I’ll just …”

“Want me to be there with you?” Charlotte asks.

“I’m fine.” Zayn repeats, sending her a quick smile and continuing his steps until he reaches his room. Louis trails behind him.

“You want your pills?” Zayn shakes his head as he sits on the bed, taking his shoes off. “Alright then … We’ll all be here just in case.”

“Thanks.” Zayn looks up at him and Louis offers a small smile. He retreats back to the door, watching Zayn take his jacket off and pulling the covers over himself, turning to the other side.

Zayn hears the door closing and counts to ten then he’s up again, placing a pillow under the covers and wearing his jacket and shoes. He grabs his phone and sends a quick text to Griff before he opens the window slowly and slips out.

_\- Can you do me a favor?_

///

“The weather is worsening.” Ed notes as he looks outside the window. “Thank god the race was at the morning. Think a storm might be on its way.” He turns to Harry and Niall, both sat at his kitchen table with a cup of coffee for each, and he places the pancakes on the table as he takes a seat across from them. “Who would have thought, huh?”

“The weather forecast?”

Ed stares at Niall for a moment. “You know what I mean.” Niall shrugs, taking a sip of his cup. “If I’m being honest, I kind of share your exact same thoughts right now, Harry.” Harry looks up at that. “I would have never guessed that Zayn is an omega, but being one and still slaying on that black bike of his … The guy’s got talent.” Ed looks down at his cup again, “Can’t believe they went with the steroids shit,” he shakes his head, “it’s the worst form of excuse the panel has ever came up with to disqualify an omega.” He looks up again at the window, “They could have at least chosen an infectious disease or something. Zayn wouldn’t have made the medical examination either way, it would have exposed him.” He sighs and turns to the two, “Oh well … It’s not like the society needs an excuse to come at male omegas. I kind of feel bad for him, but I guess it went as best as it could have. He left unharmed, which says a lot about self-control for both parties.” He glances between the two, being too quiet, “Are you gonna finish your plates?”

Niall glances at Harry, “I think we should go,” He turns to look at the window, “Think it’s safer to drive home now than later.”

“You two are welcomed to stay, you know that.”

Niall shakes his head and smiles, “I know, I know, it’s just that me and Harry, um …” He turns to Harry who gives him a confused look at first before slowly standing up with Niall, “We have some stuff to do at home.”

“Yeah …” Harry trails off awkwardly then turns to Ed again with a smile matching to Niall’s, “We should probably be on our way.” He points at the door and walks backwards as Niall grabs his jacket and waves at Ed.

“Call me if there’s anything!” Ed shouts after them, and the door is closed a couple of seconds later.

///

“So …” Harry waits as Niall gets in his seat. They’re using Niall’s car since his bike is parked at his building. “What was that for?”

“Saving your ass.” Niall replies and Harry frowns. “You kept the silent treatment for a full hour in there.”

“I was just … Thinking about … Stuff.”

Niall starts the car and sighs, “look, mate,” he turns to him, “I’ll help you out, alright?”

“Help me out?” Harry repeats slowly.

“Yeah,” Niall nods and starts driving, “We’ll know who got Zayn’s out.” Harry pauses at that, staring at Niall once he says it, and Niall isn’t joking, he’s serious, offering him a friendly smile, and it’s moments like these that he truly appreciates this friendship. “It’s what friends are for, yeah?” Niall glances at him and Harry smiles big, resting his back against his seat.

“I love you.”

“Of course you do.”

Harry still reaches to pinch Niall’s nipple while he’s driving earning a startled noise from him.

He’s home when he sees the sky a lot more darker than it was when he left Ed’s apartment, and Niall’s isn’t that far from him, but he still makes him promise to text once he gets there safe. It’s quiet as he takes the elevator, staring at his fuzzy reflection in the metal doors across from him and seeing the small amount of water his clothes caught from the rain until it reaches his floor. And he’s alerted when he smells the same scent he could smell weeks ago, knowing before the doors slide open who he’s facing.

There, with a glare in his eyes, possibly has been drenched in the rain on his way, is Zayn, leaning to the side on the wall close to his apartment door, and Harry steps out of the elevator slowly, isn’t sure of why Zayn is here, staring at him like he-

_Oh._

Shit.

But before Harry gets a chance to even say anything, Zayn is leaving the wall, making his way to him in angry steps until Harry can smell the mix of smoke, perfume, the fake scent, and his strong scent altogether, and see the tiny drops falling to the floor from his hair, flat on his forehead.

“You think the easiest way to win against me is rat me out to the judges, huh?”

“I didn’t-”

“Think you’re ‘Oh so great’ with your shiny bike that your ass can’t even ride?”

“Zayn-”

“You wanna know what I really think about you?” Zayn cuts him off again and Harry sighs, closing his mouth. He wants to, but not when Zayn is like this, not now. Zayn steps closer to him, eyes fearless and cold. “I think you lack even the basic skills to ride a bike. But you’re an alpha, and the likes of you never learn to know their true place.” He steps backwards again, “And I’ll be happy to show you exactly what kind of biker you are.” He walks past him to the elevator, and Harry turns to look at him. “The highway in the woods in ten minutes,” he says once he’s in, “Or you’re not gonna follow the standards of an alpha and be the coward you are?” He tilts his head to the side as the doors slide close, and Harry can easily not go considering how the weather isn’t really the nicest today, ignore that Zayn is still gonna go, and the fact that he won’t ever listen to him and hate him forever.

Harry turns his head to the side and sees his apartment door. He should get inside.

_He should._

///

Louis sits next to Charlotte, and across from them sits Liam, quietly tapping his fingers over his jeans.

“Could you go check on him? He might be stubborn about needing someone.” Louis asks and Liam nods, standing up and heading to Zayn’s room. He opens the door quietly, slowly approaching the bed and sitting on its edge.

“Hey, Zee? You’re good?” He reaches with his hand to pull the covers down and pauses when he finds a pillow. “Ah great. Why am I not surprised?” He stands up again, lightning the room up and glancing around. “Louis? I think we got a problem!” He shouts, and Louis is there with Charlotte in a second, quickly taking a look around the room and roughly rubbing his face with his hand while Charlotte stands there frowning.

“That piece of shit.” Louis mumbles as he picks his phone out and dials his number only to hear it ringing on the nightstand. Before he gets more curse words out of his mouth, Liam is quick on his feet to get down the stairs and into the streets, Louis following suit.

“He took his bike.” Liam looks up at the sky, “At that weather, Zayn?!”

Louis just stands there wondering where he went.

///

Harry finds Zayn ready once he reaches the woods, and there’s nobody else but them here, obviously, everybody else decided that going out in this weather isn’t the best choice to make, yet he’s here with Zayn, about to go on a race, and as he takes another look at the sky, he considers trying to convince Zayn to go back instead. It’s just not safe.

“Look, I know what you’re thinking of. But racing during this weather seems impossible!”

Zayn gives him an unimpressed look. “ _You_ racing during this weather seems impossible. It just shows how much capable I am more than you will ever be.” He puts his helmet on, “Got cold feet now that you’re here?”

Zayn doesn’t wait for him to answer, there’s a sign that Harry doesn’t know who put it there right at the middle of the road with a timer attached to it, like Zayn knows Harry is either choosing to start late or closing his helmet again like he’s doing right now, waiting for the countdown to stop so they can begin.

The rain is becoming heavier by the second, and he has to admit that his vision isn’t as clear either. The road next to the woods is foggy, and although it’s not even night yet, it feels like it with how the sun is no longer in sight. The wind blow is too much, Harry can feel it against his body, making the speed of his bike slower and the control harder. Zayn doesn’t seem to have this problem though. Easily maneuvering his bike like air resistance doesn’t even exist.

The road continues inside the woods, and Harry’s vision is blurry for a moment from all the raindrops hitting his helmet. And he thinks he’s been on that road once or twice, but he knows for sure that Zayn used that road for training, and it isn’t finished yet. There’s a long distance between the muddy ground and the highroad again that Harry remembers clearly. The hill they’re going round right on top of it. And his vision is blocked again with the sound of thunder, lightning striking between the clouds, and it gives Harry chills more than the cold wind that keeps hitting him. A storm is definitely on its way with how the wind fights against his bike that he’s sure he’ll flip off. He quickly turns his gaze to Zayn since his bike is lighter and can easily be thrown away, but his control is more than amazing, directing the bike with the wind in a way that Harry never thought possible, and he’s sure, since he saw that look in Ed’s eyes when he talked about Zayn that he would pick him over Harry if was given the choice.

Lightning strikes a tree in front of them and he quickly pulls at the brakes to avoid it, eyes going wide as Zayn lifts his bike on the front tyre, making the high-speed and air resistance work to his favor, flipping him over to get him over the tree and back on the road, earning more distance between them, and Harry quickly searches for another route around the trees to get back on the road as well. When he is, Zayn is far ahead of him, surely smirking, satisfied that Harry can’t reach his level of awesomeness. Harry really can’t.

There’s a pond of water and mud that doesn’t look too deep where the road stops and the grass begins, right next to the edge of the cliff. Another lightning strikes next to them, hitting another tree, and with Zayn’s speed, he’s right at the point where it’s gonna fall. Harry shouts at him, but Zayn doesn’t seem to hear him or even care about what he says, speeding up so he can avoid it, but Harry can see it, can see how his bike’s speed won’t reach the level Zayn requires to avoid the tree, and Zayn must have realized that by now, pulling on the brakes instead and turning his bike to the side. But the ground is slippery, and Harry had seen how his tyres work out with slippery ground, and Zayn’s only option seems to get into the pond, but Harry’s really surprised Zayn doesn’t. At the angle his bike is sliding, he’s still calm, and Harry sees the tree falling, glancing quickly between it and Zayn, but Zayn does a complete circle, gaining control again as the bike straightens and speeding up.

And Zayn knows those woods better than Harry, knows where’s what and how to use it for his advantage, and Harry would have never seen the smooth sloped rock giving him the exact height he needs to get over the tree making Harry wish he had a camera of some sort to capture the scene when Zayn goes in the air, and he must have been blinded by another strike of lightning, because another tree falls right across on the other, hitting Zayn and sending him backwards as his bike lands forwards, rolling afterwards near the cliff, and the first thing Harry does is leave his bike to rush to his side.

“Are you alright?!” He shouts over the sound of thunder, opening his helmet and checking if Zayn is injured. He gets pushed away though, and Zayn is searching for his bike around him. Zayn’s eyes widen as he sees his bike, quickly getting to his feat so Harry knows he’s at least not injured, but the wind blowing around them is too much, and they should take a cover before it blows them off the cliff, but Zayn is running, getting over the trees which have fallen down to get to his bike, already half of it falling off the cliff, and Harry can hear his desperate scream as he throws his helmet away to try and get his bike. But Harry can’t leave him to actually get it, it’s too late, and he pulls him when the bike falls completely off the cliff, the sound of Zayn’s scream is too loud in his ears as his hands catch nothing.

“Get your filthy hands off me!” Zayn shouts at him, turning around and kicking him, but Harry’s had enough already, so he uses his physical strength this time to his advantage to stop Zayn’s movements.

“Were you going to jump after it, you fool?!” He shouts back, “Were you thinking that by a miracle you would get Hercules’ power and lift it with one hand?!” Zayn just stares at him so he shouts louder. “Huh?!” Harry stands up and pulls Zayn with him. “I haven’t told anyone about you! Only Niall and me know about you being an omega! And I trust Niall with my life! But I can as hell confirm to you that your stupid actions might have led to someone else finding out! That night at the woods when we found you? Who can tell that someone didn’t see you? Your scent can be smelled from miles for god’s sake!” He walks them to Zayn’s helmet, glad that nothing has happened to his own bike and puts it over Zayn’s head. “If I really wanted you out of competition I would have left you here to die! But I’m not! So can we go home now?!” He finishes and takes a breath, closing his helmet and getting his bike to stand. “I don’t even know who I’m competing against anymore if you’re not in the competition.”

///

Surprisingly, Zayn actually agrees silently to go back with him, and he calls Louis since he’s the only person he knows is related to Zayn and got his number. Louis is there once he arrives at the garage, thankful he’s been able to come here through the awful weather, along with Charlotte and Liam, and he even finds Niall and Ed there as well.

He can see that Louis isn’t happy about the whole situation, but he doesn’t say a word, hugging Zayn tightly once he gets off the bike, and Charlotte hugs him from behind as well, looking depressed more than relieved, and he doesn’t look at them for too long, his vision soon is blocked by two other people.

“You can leave the bike here.” Ed motions behind him at the empty spots available in the garage. “We’ll use the car to get at my place.”

Harry nods and gets off the bike, glancing at Zayn again to see him already walking away with Liam while Louis and Charlotte stay behind. Louis nods at Ed to keep Harry’s bike in his garage as he approaches them, and Niall goes with Ed towards the car.

“Thank you,” Louis starts, “for bringing him home,” he sighs deeply, “and sorry for the trouble he’d caused you,” he glances behind him. “I’ll make him apologize to you in person,” he looks at Harry again, “I can promise you that.” Harry nods, wondering -again- what sort of relationship Louis and Zayn share for him to listen and do as he tells him.

He thinks again about the morning, trying to remember the contestants’ faces as Niall drives to Ed’s place, but nothing comes to his mind. It’s clear why would they do that to Zayn, it’s just hard to know who. He thinks and thinks and thinks until they arrive at Ed’s place, and the next thought he gets is to have a shower and a good sleep. God knows this storm isn’t ending anytime soon.

///

Louis stares at Zayn as he pushes the food around in his plate. He’s been like that for the past ten minutes, and he kicks at his leg under the table to get his attention.

“Are you finishing that?”

Zayn sighs, retreating his feet when he feels the kick and looking up at Louis. “I’m not hungry.”

“Stop blaming yourself.”

“I lost my bike!” Zayn raises his voice, staring back at Louis for another minute before he drops his gaze to his plate again, pushing it away and putting his fork down.

“It’s not the end of the world.” Louis replies calmly, “You were angry, I understand how your hormones work against you, and it’s not your fault, so stop being so whiny about it.” He pauses when Zayn doesn’t reply or even look at him. “I can build you another.” This gets his attention, eyes snapping up to meet Louis’. “I have some savings that would get me the best parts-”

“Those are for Lottie’s uni.” He frowns. “I’m not letting you spend that on me, I’ll … Find something.” He mumbles the last part.

“No one is forcing you-”

“I’m not staying around doing nothing while you pay for everything.” Zayn gives him a pointed look that makes him smile slightly.

“Well …” Louis starts, “since you’re an excellent biker, you can be Liam’s personal trainer. Or you can be Lottie’s home teacher. She loves the way you explain things to her. And you can help me in the garage. You’ve been with me since day one, and you basically know your way around.”

“Yeah …”

“Cool.” Louis smiles wider, “And you still need to apologize to Harry.” Zayn glares at him, and Louis cocks an eyebrow at him, keeping his stare until Zayn groans.

///

Ed has his hands on his hips and a displeased look on his face when Harry finishes his lap. The weather is much better than yesterday, the sun is out, and the temperature is warm, and he’s in a good shape for training.

“That was by far the worst lap you’ve ever done.” Ed tells him. “The fuck is going on inside that thick head of yours? You’re late by whole five minutes!”

Harry sighs, because there’s a lot on his mind, but that’s not the main issue. “Because there’s no need to rush?” He lifts his helmet off, seeing Niall on the bench busy on his phone, which is something new, and Ed must feel how the change is affecting the whole team because he drops his hands to his sides and shakes his head, and he’s about to say something, but he’s distracted by a strong scent, and it gets even Ed turning around.

“Is that how you train then?” Harry watches as Zayn walks towards them in a black denim jacket, a white shirt beneath, black pants and shoes, and Harry is surprised to see the white invading the all-black attire. He’s more surprised that Zayn is here, hands in his jacket pockets, looking good like always, like he didn’t have a breakdown yesterday at all. “No wonder you’re losing,” Harry holds his tongue. Zayn just lost his bike because he was too reckless, he isn’t in the right place to judge Harry. “Your lazy ass is gonna be kicked out in the next race if you didn’t watch out.”

“Thanks.” Ed smiles at him, “Glad there’s someone out there who agrees with me.” He reaches to pinch Harry as he turns to leave but he dodges that.

“So you’re telling me that you actually consider any of the other contestants as competition?” He turns to Zayn.

“You’re not me.” Zayn states simply as he looks at Harry, and Harry knows it’s true, watching Zayn’s gaze drop to his bike. “Besides, you’re clearly forgetting that Liam is my friend, and I’m not letting you win that easily.”

“You’re sharing your treasurable knowledge with someone else?” Harry raises his eyebrows, and Zayn fixes him with an unimpressed look. “Wow.”

Zayn looks at the ground, voice quiet with his next words. “I came to apologize. I’ve dragged you along into the storm and … It wasn’t a very smart choice,” he looks up again, eyes searching the empty track, “Also … Thanks for saving my life. I owe you that.”

Harry shakes his head, seeing the blush tainting Zayn’s cheeks. He looks cute, and Harry can’t believe he just thought of Zayn as cute. “It’s fine.”

Zayn nods at him, “Alright, um … I’ll leave you to your training then.” He’s already taking a step back, and Harry raises a hand to salute him.

Niall comes right after with a furrow to his brows. “Alright. You came up with a theory yet?”

Harry’s eyes don’t leave Zayn’s figure as he walks away. “Yeah … I don’t think it’s any of the contestants.” He turns to Niall once Zayn is gone.

“Well … Looks like you’re having a date night tonight.” He grins, and Harry furrows his brows in confusion. “Bring the pizza and I’ll bring you some beer. Pretty much he won’t say no,” he nods towards the direction Zayn just came from and Harry has to hit him on the head. Niall laughs, “just ask Ed to bring you the recorded videos of every previous race. Say it’s for your training, that you missed what other contestants might have while you were too focused on Zayn,” he glances back at Ed, “trust me, he’ll be happy to know that you’re actually focusing on other people. Ed, not Zayn,” he has to remind him, and it earns him another hit on the head. “I’m helping you here!”

But Niall is right. Ed won’t say no if he asked. And they need to know who leaked Zayn’s secret.

///

A tape after another, and Harry realizes that half of what’s there isn’t the race. It’s the main reason Niall is making him watch them, to see the audience, the contestants, the judges, and whoever else is there. Niall has brought snacks -obviously- and beer, and they’re using the T.V screen in order not to miss anything. He’s not sure how many hours have passed, but Niall pinches his side when he lays his head back on the couch.

“I wasn’t going to sleep.” He sighs, glaring at Niall before turning back to the screen. It’s the last race, and he can see from above the exact distance that separates Zayn from him. The crowd is cheering, he can remember that very well, and the camera zooms out to capture the entire track before getting to the scoreboard, but it doesn’t, just like the screen wasn’t showing it during the race, and Harry leans forwards when the camera starts to show the remaining contestants and their coaches. “Hold it!” He quickly grabs the remote to pause the video, and there’s a coach that Harry doesn’t know which contestant belongs to, but there’s a recap on the screen where Zayn comes first at the finish line, and he’s smirking, too fast to notice as he hides it and coughs instead, turning his head around to talk to his team, and the camera switches to another. “Did you see that?” He turn to Niall who nods slowly, eyes narrowing at the screen.

“Yeah … I just don’t remember who that is.”

“Ed definitely knows.”

Niall turns to him, “Yeah, of course he does. But he’ll ask.”

Harry sighs, turning to the screen again and staring at the guy’s face. “Can you at least know something about him? Anything?” He turns to Niall again.

“I can try,” he shrugs, “no promises though.”

“I’ll take that.”

///

Niall is probably still asleep on the couch with the laptop opened in front of him where Harry left him. Ed called early, and he was also on the couch, in a not too comfortable position that he regrets now as his eyelids close for some relief. They must have slept an hour or so, and Ed is definitely not happy about it, and he might be glad that Niall isn’t here with him, he might finish what they started, but Ed’s glare shouldn’t be aimed towards him alone, it was Niall’s idea.

“So …” Ed starts as Harry gets on his bike, a yawn covered by the helmet, “I suggested that you don’t watch all of them at once, but you never listen, do you?”

“I’m not tired.”

“Clearly,” Ed cocks an eyebrow at him, walking closer to him and crossing his arms over his chest. “I just hope you learned something or two. Patrick’s moves were a bit concerning … The bike looks new, you think he might have had a better control over it now?”

“Uh … Maybe?” _Who’s Patrick?_

“You think you can try that?”

“Try that?” Harry repeats in confusion.

“Yeah, you know …” Ed waves his hand around, “That move he did.” Harry blinks at him, not really sure of what he means, but he nods nonetheless. Ed would give him instructions like always, right? But Ed’s stare is making him uncomfortable even after he nods, and he’s not leaving, which makes Harry’s worries double. “You know Styles … I really hate you sometimes.” And Harry closes his eyes, shoulders slumping, ready for the lecture. “There’s no one called Patrick. You haven’t been paying attention. What on earth were you doing with Niall last night that you barely had any sleep?”

Harry reopens his eyes and takes his helmet off. “Look, I know you’re upset, but it was important.”

“What were you looking for?”

“Something personal.” Harry replies, eyes leaving Ed. Ed stays silent for a while, just staring at him, or probably glaring at the side of his face, he isn’t entirely sure.

“Get off the bike.” Harry’s eyes snap back to Ed’s, but he’s trying to suppress his anger, tone more serious than before. “When you sort out your shit, you know where to find me.”

He turns to walk away leaving Harry on the track. He knows what Ed means though, even if he’s not forcing him away from his bike, Harry’s not getting any more track reservations, and he’s definitely not getting Louis’ help either. At least not until Ed is satisfied with him. He takes a deep breath, deciding that maybe it’s best for both of them that Harry doesn’t carry on today’s training. He will hurt himself, no doubt. He returns home, slumps down on his bed, passing Niall in the living room, still asleep where he left him.

///

Charlotte is a bit confused when Harry shows up at school, and since he has no idea where Zayn lives, he believes Charlotte knows, and even though she seems hesitant at first, she allows him to offer her a ride there on his bike, giving him directions as they go after he tells her that it’s very important issue. It turns out that Louis’ garage is in the same building Charlotte leads him to, and he might be thankful that Louis didn’t actually see him parking his bike and getting inside with Charlotte.

Surprisingly enough, Harry can’t catch Zayn’s scent once he’s inside the apartment, rather smelling a very strong redolence. It’s pleasant, giving a warm feeling, like they’re burning candles inside the house, and Harry knows why they would do that. Charlotte stands in the middle of the living room, seeming hesitant again as she turns to him.

“I’ll um … Just be in my room,” she points at one of the doors, and Harry nods at her, “Zayn’s room is that one,” she points at another door, leaving one in between that Harry can only guess it’s Louis’. “You can just knock. He’s awake.” She pauses when Harry nods again, still standing in the same position in front of her making her smile and roll her eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m sure he doesn’t hate you. He’s not gonna kick you out or anything.”

“Good to know.” He smiles back and waits until she nods at him and turns to her room. He notices the incense stick from the smoke coming from it, set very close to Zayn’s room, and as Harry approaches the door, he’s sure that there are plenty others inside his room as well.

“Come in.” Zayn’s voice comes from the inside once he knocks, and he opens it slowly, Zayn’s eyes snapping up from where he’s sitting on the bed, back against the headboard with his phone in his hands. He’s wearing a white long sleeve shirt, the thin material contrasting with his leather outfit that he often sees Zayn wearing, and he looks smaller, softer with his hair half messed up, and his big eyes narrow at Harry as his feet touch the floor. “What- How did you get here?”

“Charlotte let me in,” he points behind him, and sees Zayn’s eye roll as he places the phone next to him on the bed. Well, at least he didn’t kick him out.

“What do you want?”

Harry sighs at Zayn’s tone, entering the room and pulling his phone out of his pocket. He turns the screen towards Zayn once he sits on the bed next to him. “Do you know this person?”

Zayn furrows his brows at the photo. “No.”

“Well, I believe he’s the one who caused your disqualification.”

Zayn’s eyes go up to meet his, and his brows stay furrowed for a while as he stares at him. “How did you know that?”

“Well …” Harry puts his phone down, “Niall and I re-watched the day of the race, and he seemed too content when you crossed the finish line first. Now, being a coach to a competitor, I find this very suspicious. And while we don’t know how he knew about you, we did a small research, and unfortunately … His profile is clean.”

Zayn blinks at him, brows furrowing deeper. “You … And Niall … Did that for _me_?” He narrows his eyes at Harry, “why do I find this very awkward?”

“I thought we’re on good terms now.” Harry frowns. “Besides, I find it unfair for them to disqualify you based on your classification, or even based on a drug test or some forged documents. You were the main reason I kept wanting to improve myself.”

“You should be glad I’m not in it anymore,” Zayn leans back slightly, crossing his arms over his chest, “Your number one prize is at your reach.”

“You got illegally disqualified, and you’re not even slightly thankful that there’s someone helping you?!”

“Because it makes no sense that you’re helping me in the first place!” Zayn raises his voice, standing up from the bed, and Harry stands up as well, noticing the height difference now that Zayn isn’t wearing his boots.

“Can’t you just accept the fact that I don’t mean you harm?! You were rude to me since the very beginning, but I know why you feel this towards us, so just let me help you!”

“Because you’re suddenly a nice person?”

“And you’ve already based the thought of me being the bad guy on?”

Zayn looks away as he huffs a breath. “Alright. You want me to thank you? Thank you.” He turns to Harry again. “Now you’re free to go.”

Harry stares at him in disbelief. “You’re not going to do anything about it? You’re just letting him get away with it?”

“What do you want me to do?!” Zayn raises his arms around him, “I can’t do anything! He’s a fucking alpha! Do you expect me to go punch him in the face or something? Because last time I checked, physical strength isn’t my main trait! Or maybe get a gun and shoot him? Get myself a death penalty!” Zayn takes a breath once he finishes, eyes wide as he stares at him then he sighs, shaking his head and sitting back on the bed. “I’m well aware of what I am and what I’m capable of, I don’t need you to be telling me what to do and what not to do.” He says quietly as he stares at the floor.

“You got Liam and Griff on your side.” Harry reasons, “I’m pretty sure Louis has many connections,” he sits next to Zayn again, “And you got me … If you’re willing to consider me on your side. And I’m sure Niall can be useful too.”

“It’s not gonna put me back on the track,” Zayn turns to him, “I lost my bike. It’s over.”

“That’s not the same stubborn head I used to know.”

Zayn huffs a laugh, “He’s retired.”

“That won’t stop me from figuring something out though.”

Zayn tilts his head to the side, “Why are you still pushing the subject forwards?”

“Because you don’t deserve this.”

Zayn goes to say something, opening his mouth as he narrows his eyes at him but decides against it, turning his head away, “Well, don’t. I already owe you a lot.”

“I’m still doing it.” Zayn turns to him again, eyes still narrowed. “It doesn’t have to mean that I want something in return.” Zayn cocks an eyebrow, “or maybe I do …”

Zayn is trying to read him, Harry could tell, searching his face instead of asking what he wants. And his eyes are closer this time for Harry to see the shades of brown mixed with green, the golden specks in it, the little brown freckle in his left eye, the mesmerizing curve of his heavy lashes that still catches Harry off guard. They flutter softly, and Harry didn’t realize he’s moved even closer, his own eyes casting downwards at the lips he’s tasting for the first time before his eyes fall shut.

There’s a small gasp of air that Harry hears as his hands find the material of Zayn’s shirt, fingers tracing the folds until they touch the bare skin, and he tilts his head a bit, feeling a brush of fingers across his cheek, another brushing through his hair until they rest on the back of his neck.

“Get off him.”

Zayn pushes him away quickly, too fast for Harry to process that Zayn’s laid on the bed, eyes too wide before he closes them, hands pushing his hair backwards, and Harry sits up, turning his head towards the door to see Louis, arms crossed over his chest as he glares at him, and he turns to Zayn again. At least he’s still looking at him.

“You should leave.” Zayn says it and looks away, and Harry furrows his brows at him.

“Are you deaf?” Louis questions, an edge to his tone that clearly says he’s pissed off.

“And this concerns you because?” Harry turns to Louis who raises his brows high in his forehead.

“I’m not going to repeat myself.” Louis replies, ignoring his question, and then Zayn is pulling himself away, staring at anything that isn’t Louis or Harry, and Harry doesn’t know anything about their relationship, so he gets up from the bed, grabbing his phone along, and doesn’t say another word as he passes Louis.

Louis waits until the front door is closed to speak up. “What were you thinking?”

Zayn closes his eyes and inhales deeply.

“I wasn’t.”

///

It’s not that Harry was looking for Zayn today, but it happens that he’s passing again by the school, and he sees Charlotte first, who seems reluctant to keep the eye contact as she frowns, and there is more than once scenario going on inside Harry’s head as to why she’s frowning at him, because his gaze catches Zayn by her side too, and surprisingly, he’s the one to approach Harry first, leaving Charlotte to wait.

“Listen-”

“Louis’ your mate?” Harry asks quickly, and he sees Zayn’s brows furrowing.

“No.”

“Boyfriend?”

Zayn stares at him, trying not to roll his eyes apparently, but he repeats his answer, “no. Louis is my best friend. I met him when I was ten,” he sighs, “he was just … Looking after me.” He pauses, avoiding Harry’s eyes, “Whatever happened yesterday …” He waves around with his hand as he takes a deep breath, “I guess your hormones got mixed up-”

“Me?!” Harry cuts him off, “You kissed me back!”

“Well, obviously mine were messed up too when yours got too strong!” Zayn returns his gaze to his.

Harry shifts his weight on one foot as he narrows his eyes at Zayn. “I’ve been around you before, your scent isn’t that much new to me. And besides, your whole apartment is filled with scented candles and incense sticks. Your scent was hard to smell anyway.” Zayn fixes him with a confused look, and as Harry thinks of what he’d said, he realizes he’d said too much too soon.

“What?”

Harry sighs, “I didn’t kiss you because suddenly I was overwhelmed by you scent … Or whatever you meant by what you said.” Zayn blinks at him, eyebrows rising in his forehead, and Harry busies his hand with fixing his hair, this time, being the one who avoids Zayn’s gaze. “Before, when we started the tournament, I just admired your skills, and … It might have grown into something else …”

“You didn’t know I was an omega back then.”

“Yeah, well …”

“You actually thought of a possible relationship with another alpha?” Harry slowly brings his gaze back to Zayn’s, and he’s still confused, looking a bit thrown away by the new information. “Wow … I knew something was weird about you,” he shakes his head, and it’s Harry’s turn to fix him with a harsh look.

“You still kissed me back.”

Zayn rolls his eyes, “Whatever happened, it’s not gonna happen again.”

“If it wasn’t for Louis’ interruption, I believe you would have even wanted more.” Harry crosses his arms over his chest, but Zayn’s expression is serious when he replies.

“Trust me, it wouldn’t have gone far,” he takes a step backwards, “I would have hated you if it did,” he turns to leave as Harry frowns.

“You’re saying it like I would have forced you or something.”

“You wouldn’t know”

“How would I not know?”

Zayn turns to him again, “Do you actually remember what happened yesterday in full detail?” Harry opens his mouth to reply, but he frowns deeper, and Zayn nods, like he knows Harry doesn’t. “You didn’t even catch my scent yet, Harry.”

“I did,” Harry argues. “I was there when you were close to your heat if you can’t remember, and I didn’t lose my shit, alright? I’ve been with plenty other omegas, half of them were in heat, and I’ve never once did something against anyone’s will.”

“First,” Zayn holds a finger up, “Don’t compare me to your filthy female hookups. And second,” he holds another finger up, “You haven’t caught my scent yet.” He steps back again, “And last … Yes, you would have lost control if you did.” He turns to leave and he actually goes, returning to Charlotte, and he can hear her whining from where he’s standing, something close to _‘why do you always take all the hot ones?’_

He knows what Zayn means though, it hits him like a brick in the face as he watches the two walk further away. While Harry was practically half hard in his jeans, Zayn’s body wasn’t producing slick just yet. Harry definitely hadn’t smelled that, and it leaves a hanging thought in his mind.

///

Louis’ garage isn’t crowded, not a single customer is inside since he’s sitting on his desk calculating something. He sees Harry when he enters but doesn’t stand up, probably because he’s here without Ed or his bike, or maybe because Harry isn’t actually here for him. Zayn is looking at him from where he’s sitting on top of two boxes. He’s in a black hoodie, still keeping the dark attire, but the sleeves are pushed up a bit, and the material is light, and his hair isn’t quite styled up like the usual. Both aren’t kicking him out yet and he takes it as a good sign.

“Hey.” He greets Zayn once he reaches him, looking up at him because he’s in a higher level than Harry’s, which is new, and the angle serves Zayn’s lashes very well if he’s honest.

“Hey.” Zayn greets back, voice quiet, and Harry guesses it’s probably because of Louis. He knows there is a glare at the back of his head.

“Is Louis gonna chop my head off because I’m talking to you?” Harry asks, keeping his voice quiet as well, and Zayn laughs shortly.

“No,” he glances at Louis, “he might though if you intended anything else, but he knows that half of the fault is mine too so …” He shrugs, “You’re good.”

“Cool.” Harry nods, also glancing at Louis before returning to Zayn, “so I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday, and I’m sorry if I offended you in any way. It wasn’t my intention.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“And,” Harry carries on, “I think we might have started on the wrong page-”

“I told you, you don’t have to-”

“So allow me to correct this, and take you out.” Harry finishes and Zayn pauses mid-sentence, brows furrowing in confusion.

“Take me out?” He repeats.

“On a date.”

Zayn blinks at him, perplexed, mouth still opened, and he stays like this for a while. “On a date.” He repeats slower, eyes leaving Harry for a moment, “Okay.”

Harry raises his brows, “For real?”

“I owe you.” Zayn shrugs, and Harry has to fix him with a hard stare, earning another laugh from Zayn. “So, where are you gonna take me?”

Harry puts his hands in his jacket pockets, “Well, I was thinking of an early morning on the beach. The weather seems nice, it’s a quiet place, almost empty after dawn, so you don’t need to cover up much.”

“How considerate of you,” Zayn smiles at him, actually smiles, even if his sentence holds a bit of sarcasm, but he’s genuine, and Harry almost can’t believe it. “And you’ll bring candles and a full picnic setting?” He bats his eyelashes at him, and Harry almost hates him for it.

“Can you be serious for once?”

“I was dead serious on the track,” Zayn’s smile falls, “But unfortunately-”

“You wouldn’t do anything about it.”

Zayn glares at him, “Are we doing this again? Because I might change my answer.”

Harry sighs, “Seven A.M sounds good tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. I’ll pick you up.” Harry nods, walking backwards, “And for your information, a picnic with candles by the beach is very romantic.”

Zayn rolls his eyes, “We just met.”

“We met long time ago, before the first race,” Harry corrects, “So you would mean, we just kissed, and you liked it.” He offers a quick amused smile, grateful that there’s nothing sharp within Zayn’s reach he can throw on him as he glares. But he’s not replying, and he’s already mentioned not hating Harry for it, taking part of the blame. And even though Harry may never know what Zayn originally thinks of him, he believes they’re at least on the same page.

Louis’ amused smile after Harry’s gone alone makes Zayn roll his eyes again.

“So …”

“Shut up.”

“A date, huh?”

“Shut. Up.”

///

At seven in the morning, Harry finds Zayn ready despite his previous doubts of not finding him. He looks sleepy, and adorable if Harry has to say. He can totally guess that Zayn isn’t a morning person at all, but he’s still doing it, and he doesn’t tease Harry about his lack of picnic setting as he takes the extra helmet Harry offers him and gets behind him silently, mumbling a ‘morning’ back that sounds more like a grunt more than an actual word, and Harry still notices that Zayn chose to hide his scent, only smelling him once he’s closely behind him. He’s awake though when they reach the beach, eyes big when he takes off his helmet as he stares at the open sea.

“You’ve been here before?”

“Plenty of times,” Zayn nods as he handles him the helmet.

“You’re a good swimmer then?”

Zayn snorts, “I don’t come here for swimming.”

Harry looks up at him. “Training.”

“Used to,” Zayn looks back at him, “It’s not offering something new for me anymore.”

“Since when have you been racing?” Harry leaves his bike and walks towards the shore.

“Sixteen, maybe,” Zayn furrows his brows at him, “Are you leaving your bike outside?”

“What would I do with it on the beach?”

Zayn purses his lips together for a second. “How do you have so much spare time anyway?” He turns to walk into the shore, ignoring his question. “The next race isn’t that far away.”

“You’ve been keeping tabs?”

“If you forgot, I still got Liam on the track,” Zayn glances at him, “I have to know how much time I have in order to focus on a fitting training schedule.”

“Wow, if you keep being nice and sweet I might actually believe you are.”

Zayn turns to glare at him, “Wow, if you keep acting normal, I might actually believe you are.”

“Hey! I wasn’t the one who insulted the entire guests at the pre-race party.”

“I wasn’t the one who had a crush on another alpha,” Zayn retorts.

“That,” Harry raises a finger, “considers as a sacrifice from my side. That I didn’t care about what classification you are, and still gained interest. And who knows? Maybe my body knew you weren’t an alpha, so that’s the main reason I got attracted to you in the first place.”

Zayn stops and turns to him, “I don’t think your brain was able to form such thought then.”

“This is gonna be the perfect date ever.” Harry mumbles as he continues to walk. “You sure you’re going for a swim? The sun is warm.”

“Leaving me behind already?” Zayn slumps down on the sand.

Harry rolls his eyes, keeping his gaze fixed on the waves for a minute or two, and Zayn doesn’t speak up, so he does. “Do you ever think about the possibility of you being an alpha?”

“Why? I’m thankful for who I am. I can pretty much bring you down to your knees.”

Harry turns to him with an unimpressed look. “Can you stop for a moment?”

“Can your society stop judging my type for a moment?” Zayn asks instead, “Then no. I’ll stay bitter, thank you very much.” Harry sighs and walks until he’s next to him before sitting down as well.

“I’m sorry it doesn’t get easier for you. If it helps, I don’t share their beliefs.”

“Thanks,” Zayn replies quietly, “if it counts for anything, you’re the first person other than the Tomlinsons to be that nice to me, and it’s probably why I like you and why I’m here with you, and if you ever repeated that to anyone, I’ll kill you.”

Harry smiles as he turns his head to look at him, “Thank you!”

“So, you’ve never tried to ride your bike on the wet sand?” Zayn changes the subject quickly.

“Not really,” Harry shakes his head and watches as Zayn stands up.

“You got a perfect enhanced bike and you’re not even using half of its traits.” Harry stands up as well, “Have you ever gone at full speed with it?”

“No?”

“Such a shame,” Zayn sighs, putting his hands on his hips, “Very well then. Since your training has been suspended for unknown reasons, I’ll be your trainer for today. Bring your bike here.”

“I’m feeling that this date is getting better already,” Harry smiles widely, turning on his heels to get his bike.

Zayn makes him go a bit further in where the waves crash into the tyres, sitting behind him by placing his back to Harry’s, and while Harry is concerned that Zayn might fall, the latter doesn’t seem that bothered at all by his position, like he’d done it before, and Harry starts his bike.

“Go in a straight line, don’t let the waves or the wind force you to make a shift until you reach full speed.” Harry turns his head to Zayn with furrowed brows behind his helmet, a protest on his tongue already, but Zayn won’t hear any of it as he continues his instructions. “There will be obvious resistance, it’s not like mud, and you can easily be drawn in by the ebb, and the water splashing will be a constant distraction, but you should be fine. Louis’ made such a nice job on your bike.” Zayn adjusts himself, “Okay. Go!”

Harry doesn’t get to even start for ten seconds, and he feels Zayn slapping his arm, telling him to stop.

“What did I do?”

“You didn’t go in a straight line.”

“I did go in a straight line! I wasn’t even a full minute in and you stopped me!”

“Look,” Zayn points behind him at the trail the bike is leaving, and Harry turns his head to look at it as well, “Right there. You allowed your hands to lose control of the handlebars in favor of pressing for more speed.”

“You weren’t even looking at me.”

“I don’t need to be looking at you to know which mistake you’re committing.” Harry sighs, turning his head forwards, “try again.”

Not more than another minute, and Zayn slaps him again making him groan, “what now?!”

“You’re not in a straight line. You’re going round with the sea, trying to keep the same water level. I didn’t tell you to do that.”

Harry gives him a look of disbelief. “Seriously?! You’re way worse than Ed!”

“Just admit that you’re so bad at this.”

“Well let’s see how you do it then.” Harry gets off the bike, and Zayn quickly gets to his feet before he falls. He doesn’t seem bothered though, looking between Harry and the bike for a moment before he’s taking the helmet from Harry.

“Watch …” He puts the helmet on, “and learn.”

Harry rides behind him with the spare helmet, and he knows that Zayn isn’t used to heavy bikes nor heavy weight on top of it, but he seems so sure of himself that Harry doesn’t know whether he wants to see Zayn lose the bet or actually impressing him like always. Zayn starts the bike again, getting the tyres to splash against the water without moving and getting the sand in a blast behind them. It’s like he’s testing the bike first as he goes, keeping the speed at minimum, and Harry tries to focus on whether or not Zayn is heading into a straight way. Zayn speeds up, keeping the bike steady effortlessly making Harry envy his skills for a moment. The waves are crashing on them, and Zayn tilts the bike outwards, still keeping the steadiness of the bike with Harry’s weight behind him, and the straight line he’s going through, like he’s using the push of the waves to get the bike not to fall, and at the same time, making the tyres roll on a straight line with the help of the push of the motor.

The wind resistance as they go faster is increasing, but Zayn keeps tilting the bike left and right, and Harry just wants to see behind him like Zayn did to him, so he turns his head, trying to get a glimpse of the line the tyres are creating against the sand before the waves crash again. He’s not surprised at all when he sees the blur of a line constant. He’s distracted for a moment as Zayn lifts the bike on its back tyre, and Harry turns his head forwards, seeing Zayn move his weight to stand up slightly, pushing the bike back on its front then dropping at the same moment the bike drops to the ground, making less contact with his body while Harry jumps slightly from his seat. He glances over Zayn’s shoulder at the speed monitor, and even though Harry can’t quite feel the speed because of the nature of the ground they’re on, Zayn exceeded a number Harry couldn’t, still in a straight line.

“Hang on tight!” Zayn shouts at him, and Harry almost falls if he wasn’t holding onto Zayn as they make a turn towards the beach, Zayn using the tide direction against the tyres to slow down and get the bike to its full stop. He turns to Harry ad he takes his helmet off, and Harry can see the obvious smirk on his face. “You own a monster. You just need to learn how to ride it the right way.”

Harry releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding before taking off his helmet as well. “Alright, alright. You won. It’s just another demonstration on how you literally take my breath away.”

Zayn giggles, and Harry is distracted for a second, but then Zayn is tilting his head backwards and kissing him. It’s soft and quick, and Harry is distracted again. Zayn pulls back and gets off the bike, handing Harry the helmet back, who is still unable to process.

“I don’t quite count this as a training session for you, so … Sorry about that.”

“I did not mind that.” Harry replies. “And I certainly didn’t know that kissing is still allowed.”

Zayn chuckles at him, “As long as you keep it in your pants, it’s allowed.”

“Good, cause I plan on doing that often.” Harry licks his lips. “Remind me to make you ride my bike more often if it gets you to kiss me.”

Zayn laughs, “Don’t relinquish your bike.”

“How do you spend your heat?”

Zayn rolls his eyes and turns to start to walk away. “I’m not spending my heat with you.”

“How am I supposed to take this relationship further while you fuck other people?” Harry frowns.

Zayn pauses, turning to Harry with a frown as well. “Just … Focus on winning your race first.”

“My life. My priorities.” Harry reminds him, “Why are you drawing a line for me?”

“Because I’m brainless during my heat.” Zayn replies bluntly, “I don’t care who I fuck as long as it’s good and keeps me satisfied. It’s not a relationship.”

“And your point is?” Harry cocks an eyebrow.

“It’s useless sex. I don’t even feel anything. I don’t remember most of it.”

Harry furrows his brows, “You can just say you don’t want this … Whatever this is between us, to carry on.”

“I didn’t say that,” Zayn sighs.

“You’re not allowing me to go further whether you’re sane or not.”

“I didn’t say that.” He repeats.

“Well, at some point, I would want that, and I’m pretty sure you would too, as a normal healthy person.” Zayn shakes his head and turns to walk away. “You’re not making sense!” He shouts after him.

“I didn’t say that I don’t want to have sex with you!”

“You’re still not making sense! How on earth am I supposed to do that?!”

Zayn turns to him, looking about to blow up. “Gosh, you’re an idiot!” Before he’s turning on his heels again and walking faster. Harry just raises his hands in the air, huffing a frustrated breath.

“Perfect. What a perfect date!”

///

Niall texts him that he’s in a café nearby, and Harry spots him inside easily, dropping his weight on the chair across from Niall with a heavy sigh. Niall doesn’t react, doesn’t say anything, just leaves Harry with a frown on his face, and it’s probably because he knows him well, because in the next second, Harry is groaning and opening his mouth to talk.

“Zayn doesn’t want to have sex with me!”

Niall pauses, staring at Harry for a moment. “Did you freak him out by saying that to his face?”

“No, I-” Harry sighs, “Remember the day we got that video?” Niall nods slowly, “I went to his place, and then I accidently kissed him.”

“Define ‘accidently’.” Niall narrows his eyes at him.

“I … Well, I sort of just … Did it?” Harry frowns again, “He was close, looking cute and soft, and I didn’t exactly realize I was kissing him until he was beneath me on the bed.”

“Interesting.” Niall says slowly.

“But,” Harry raises a finger, “he kissed me back.”

“More interesting,” Niall’s eyes widen slightly as he grabs his drink, taking a sip.

“Then I asked him out on a date, and he agreed.” Harry goes on, “we took a ride on the beach, and he kissed me again. The topic just came to my mind, you know? He won’t let me touch him during his heat, and not even when he’s not in heat, but he would let others do it?! But he says he wants it, and I have zero idea what he means! And I swear I hate him sometimes!”

Niall frowns, “is that why you’re not showing up at training?”

Harry sighs, “Ed knew we didn’t watch the videos for ‘training’ purposes. And he’s been mad at me ever since.”

“Yeah, and you haven’t even tried to apologize?”

“Ni-”

“No, you’re becoming obsessed with Zayn. It isn’t healthy!” Niall leans forwards on the table, “Harry, as your best friend, I’ve never seen you taking interest into someone like that, and it concerns me.”

“I’m not obsessed with him.” Harry furrows his brows.

Niall sighs, leaning back in his seat again. “You’ve done all of that in the couple of days you went ghost on us. Your closest friends. And you’re not trying to come back, Harry. You’re only here because your date got blown out.”

“That’s not true,” Harry frowns deeper.

“If your date went alright, would you be here complaining about it?” Harry opens his mouth to speak, but Niall beats him to it. “No. You wouldn’t have been here. I bet if Zayn allowed you to fuck him, you would be doing it right this instant.” Niall pauses, “You know what? I’m glad your date didn’t go out well, and I hope Zayn would continue to torture you for the rest of your life.”

Harry stays silent for a moment, staring back at Niall with a constant frown on his face. “You disappear for days and no one knows anything about it,” he narrows his eyes at Niall, “I remember Cindy very well, the girl you wouldn’t shut up about even when I told you she’s-”

“Alright, alright!” Niall cuts him off, “Point proven,” he grumbles, “what do you want?”

Harry smiles, “I love how you’re never actually mad at me.”

“I _am_ mad at you. Ed told me to figure it out, you know? I’m supposed to be ratting you out.”

“But you’re not.” Harry raises his brows.

“What’s the point? You wouldn’t be paying attention anyway.”

“Look, I’ll talk to Ed, I promise. I just couldn’t be there in practice while my mind is elsewhere. I’ll do it tonight, I’m sure Ed’s ready whenever I am.”

“Good.”

“Good.” Harry nods, and Niall sinks in his seat, taking his drink with him. “So …” Niall looks up at him, “That’s one problem solved.”

Niall rolls his eyes, “You can’t expect Zayn to jump in bed with you from the first date. I know you’ve done it multiple times before, but maybe he doesn’t want to do it right now. Maybe he’s waiting to get to know you.”

“While he fucks other people?”

“No, well …” Niall trails off, eyes going distant, and Harry narrows his eyes at him.

“You’re thinking of something.” Niall just closes his mouth. “What do you know?”

“Well, if you’re not the stupidest person on earth.”

“Hey!”

“Alright, alright …” He places his drink back on the table, “Zayn doesn’t want to have sex with you while he’s in heat, why?”

“Because he thinks it’s useless when all he thinks about is the sex, not who is with him.”

“And outside his heat?”

“Because I would, according to him, lose control when I get to catch his real scent, without anything hiding it.”

“And …” Niall motions for Harry with his hand to carry on, but Harry fixes him with a confused look, he doesn’t know what else Niall needs him to tell. Niall gives up, huffing a breath and leaning on the table again. “If he wants to do it with you, but he doesn’t want it to be during his heat, because he wants to feel it, wants to enjoy it, and there’s no way he would enjoy it if you lose control, so …” Niall’s brow rise in his forehead as he expects Harry to follow, but receives an empty response, a completely lost Harry staring back at him, and he sighs heavily. “Zayn is asking you to mate him.”

Harry freezes, tries to think rationally, and what Niall is saying can’t be rational. “What?”

“When you’re mated, you feel each other’s emotions, so there’s no way for you to hurt him if you feel it. So either Zayn really wants you to mate him, or he wants to scare you away since you’ve been literally stalking him from the very beginning.”

Harry blinks at him and frowns, “you think he’d be doing that?”

“We’re talking about Zayn here,” Niall reminds him. Harry leans back in his chair with a frown.

“But we don’t even know each other. I hardly think Zayn would just give himself away like that … I mean … It’s an eternal bond we’re talking about here.” He shakes his head, glancing around him, “I’m not that old, Ni. I don’t think I would have thought of the possibility to mate someone at that age, it just … It doesn’t make sense.” He shakes his head again.

“You want my opinion as your best friend?” Harry looks up at him, “I’ve already told you this earlier. You’re literally obsessed with him.” Harry looks away, shakes his head again. “You were ready to have him as your boyfriend in front of a world who doesn’t accept him. Hell, you were even ready to do it when you thought he was an alpha,” and before Harry can protest, Niall continues quickly, “if you were considering a relationship with him in the first place, then mating was surely in your plan.”

“Yeah, but … Every time we’re together, we always fight. We don’t get along, and we know nothing about each other. It doesn’t make sense.” Harry repeats.

“Fine,” Niall shrugs, reaching for his drink to finish it before he’s standing up. “Your life, Haz. Do whatever you please.”

Harry takes a deep breath before he’s standing up to leave as well.

///

Ed doesn’t immediately reply, but when he does, he threatens Harry that if he’s still unfocused, he can pretty much say goodbye to his bike. He sends Harry the details on where they’ll be training tonight, giving a clear warning to arrive on time and not to take the road next to the woods. He says it twice, tone stern, and doesn’t wait for Harry’s reply, hanging up immediately afterwards. He texts Niall, asking about Ed’s mood, and he can tell why Ed is being so specific with his orders. He tells Niall the exact content of the phone call, joking about what mystery lies in the depths of the woods. Niall doesn’t send emojis like he always does when he’s serious once he replies, and Harry stares at his phone screen for a moment before making a quick decision.

_\- Not what in the woods. Who._

Harry takes the road by the woods.

///

Harry keeps glancing next to him, keeping a moderate speed, and even though Niall told him he’s not covering for him if he’s late, Harry doesn’t plan to be late. He’s just here to see which of the two is training. The sound of an engine attracts his attention, and he takes an immediate detour into the woods, seeing the headlights flashing next to him, and it’s a green bike, obviously, Harry’s never seeing that black bike he’d always admired anymore, but the moves of the biker is what gets his attention, the quick turns of left and right before jumping on rocks ignites a spark in his mind, and he slows down when the bike makes a final turn, stopping a few steps away from Harry.

The helmet is off, and Harry’s disappointed. Liam’s bright smile is the first thing he sees.

“Nice moves you got there,” he compliments.

“Thanks,” Liam replies, placing his helmet aside, “got a professional coach to help me out.”

“Ah, yeah …” And because Harry can’t hold himself back, he adds, “your fuck buddy?”

Liam chuckles, “I would rather call it friends with benefits. Even if it’s on one side only … But it works for me, I mean,” he shrugs, and Harry doesn’t know why his grip tightens a bit on the handlebars. “What are you doing here anyway? This ain’t your usual training ground.”

“No, I was actually taking a shortcut, didn’t realize I would run into you here at this time of the night.”

“Yeah,” Liam drags the word out, “Zayn in a night owl.” He pauses, glancing between Harry and his bike, “which reminds me that I should be going. Zayn would literally kill me if I was late.” He puts on his helmet back, “See you around!” He waves at Harry before taking off further into the woods, and Harry stays in his place for a couple of minutes, doing nothing but replaying what Niall said to him.

He is not very late when he meets up with Ed and Niall, and thankfully, his best friend lied to save his ass. Ed is still angry at him, but Harry makes up for it in his training with a clear mind.

_He’s made a decision._

///

Harry opens the door, and Zayn looks up at him, not smiling or anything. He’s leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, but Harry still offers one of his own, seeing him in front of his apartment after sending him a text.

“You came alone.”

“You expected me to bring an army or something?”

“No,” Harry steps aside, opening the door wider to let him in, “It’s just a good feeling to know that you trust me.”

Zayn looks around inside his apartment before he’s uncrossing his arms and stepping inside. “Well, to be honest, Griff still lives next door. So if you plan to do anything to me, he’ll make sure to bury your body six feet under.” He turns to Harry again, offering a tight smile.

“What a great friend,” Harry mumbles, but Zayn hears it, he can see it obviously, and he extends his hand to offer Zayn a seat, but the latter doesn’t sit down, putting his hands in his jacket pockets instead and staring down at Harry. “You’re not gonna allow me to even offer you a glass of water, are you?”

“Depends.”

Harry sighs, “Can you please not act like this for once? I didn’t ask you to come here so we can fight.”

Zayn rolls his eyes, but he slumps down on a chair. “I came here, didn’t I?”

“You came with an image already built in your head,” Zayn turns to look at him, “I know that.” Zayn blinks and doesn’t say anything, turning his head away again and looking around Harry’s apartment instead. “I just want you to hear me out, okay?” Zayn opens his mouth, reply ready, but he glances at Harry who raises his brows at him, and Zayn closes his mouth again, getting more comfortable in his chair. “The first time I saw you, you were this mysterious looking guy, one that I wanted to beat the shit out of back then,” he sees Zayn’s frown, “And then I saw you on track, the component that I wanted to reach his level of skill. I placed you as a goal in front of me, and the extremes I went in training drove Ed mad,” he shakes his head with a smile, “you might not remember seeing Ed’s car, but that night next to the gas station?” Zayn turns to look at him, “I wanted nothing more than to just stay close and watch. Too bad Ed was driving away.” He looks up at Zayn, “I was drunk off my ass.” But Zayn says nothing, shifting his gaze again away from Harry, and he’s also not uncomfortable, maybe shocked that Harry recognizes it’s him now. “I get it. I get why you kept insulting me. I was just another alpha to you, who only happens to look up to you. I do, really. You’re an amazing biker. I never cared about what classification you are, just the thought of someone that good might have given me the wrong impression that you’re an alpha, but you’re just breaking every rule I’ve ever known, and you’re literally throwing me off the edge, every single time.” He smiles. “I wasting joking when I told you I was thinking of a possible relationship with you as an alpha. I was ready to bottom for you.”

Zayn’s brows rise high in his forehead as he looks at him. “No offense, but you’re weird.”

Harry ignores the insult, “Back then, I was ready to give away something that I knew nothing about where it could lead me, when I barely knew you. Now though, I want to know you. I want to know your past, your plans for the future, who your friends and family are, what you like and dislike outside the field of racing. I like you, and I’ve never done the things I did for you for anyone before, and I think it’s all I need to know to take this step with you.”

Zayn looks at him, eyes darting across his face before he’s nodding slowly. “Okay.” He stands up, and Harry is confused for a moment, because Zayn isn’t actually replying to anything, he’s turning around instead, and Harry stands up too.

“I’m confessing my feelings to you, and you’re-” He follows Zayn around the apartment and stops when he realizes that Zayn is entering his bedroom, “what’re you doing?” Zayn looks at him over his shoulder once, a mere black look that gives Harry absolutely nothing about what he’s doing, then he’s entering the bathroom, and Harry is left facing a closed door. “Zayn?!”

Harry hears shuffling around inside the bathroom leaving him more confused when Zayn doesn’t reply to him, and then he hears water running, the shower to be exact, and he doesn’t know what Zayn is doing anymore, other than the thought that Zayn undressed and got into the shower maybe, and he keeps staring at the door in confusion until Zayn’s scent becomes stronger and clearer, and he has to step back in a frown. He isn’t sure what _he_ must be doing right now, because it isn’t like the time when he first knew Zayn is an omega, when he was fresh out of the shower, scent strong and messing with Harry’s hormones. He knows now that his scent wasn’t at its peak, being surrounded by scented candles and incense sticks. But now he’s here, at his own apartment, shedding his layers off, and Harry feels terrified, because his brain isn’t functioning well, and he takes quick steps outside his bedroom just to get himself away from Zayn’s scent. He has to remind himself of what Zayn told him, what Niall told him, Louis’ warning, and Griff being literally next door, and he knows it’s true when he feels the urge to just go back into his bedroom and kick the bathroom door open.

He doesn’t know how many minutes have passed while he tries to even his breathing and think about anything other than Zayn. He considers leaving the apartment and calling Niall, but he doesn’t know if it’s a good idea when he knows there are other alphas in the building who can smell Zayn’s scent, and hell, what is he going to do if they came for him? Harry can’t function properly.

Harry’s eyes snap open on instinct, and he didn’t realize he’s been closing his eyes, back pressed against the wall in his living room with his hand pressing on the other to feel pain rather than anything else. But Zayn stands in front of him, hair still a bit wet, wrapped in Harry’s bathrobe, and Harry might have forced himself not to breathe either.

“You’re certainly the weirdest I’ve met.”

Harry furrows his brows. “Have you lost your mind?!”

“Dear lord,” Zayn sighs and starts walking towards him, and Harry presses his nails more into his wrist. “While your brain is still functioning,” he stands in front of Harry, sliding the bathrobe to expose his neck and shoulder, “do it.” He simply tells him with a hand on his neck, two fingers placed there, a silent gesture for Harry, face still blank, and Harry stares at the exposed skin, blinking multiple times to try process the situation. It’s obvious, really, Harry knows what Zayn is asking, knows that he agreed to it, but never in his life would he had expected it to be like this. Harry slowly moves his hands, marks obvious on his wrists as he raises them, one hand goes around Zayn’s neck while the other cover the one on Zayn’s neck, and Zayn retreats his own as Harry leans forwards, and Harry feels like he’s almost losing control when the first contact his mouth makes with Zayn’s skin is made, and he bites there, hearing the hiss Zayn makes then the little sound he makes right after when he licks over it, but he’s being pushed away in his dizziness, and Zayn is stumbling back, hand pressing on the bite on his neck as Harry stands there against the wall.

When Harry is able to speak again without the need to press his nails against his wrists, he asks, “was that it?”

“You’re the first person to choose to run away rather to jump on me,” Zayn looks up with a frown, “no, that’s not it. You’ve never read anything about bonding, have you?”

“I …” Harry furrows his brows, “The first?! You’ve been bonded before?!”

“No, you idiot,” Zayn finally drops his hand from his neck, “but I’ve encountered alphas who would want to.”

And then, a thought comes to Harry’s mind. “Did Liam try to?”

Zayn narrows his eyes at him, “You’re the worst at this. How are you able to spark omegas’ interest?” Totally ignoring his question.

“Not my fault your scent is now all over the place and I can’t approach you without … Wait a minute … I’m able to?!” Zayn just blinks at him. “And you’re not gonna at least say anything?! At least to show you’re wanting this?!”

“You just left a bond mark on my neck! You think I don’t want this?!”

“You’re still not talking to me,” Harry says gently, finally pushing himself off the wall and approaching Zayn, “I can’t understand you. Other than what you show or what I see, you’re closed on yourself, and I’m trying desperately from my side, but all you ever do is ignore me.”

“You want is all at once. It doesn’t happen that way.” Zayn crosses his arms over his chest.

“Because you keep on giving nothing at each step maybe?”

Zayn huffs, “I’m not-”

“How do you feel about me?” Harry asks, interrupting Zayn and startling him at the same time, and Zayn blinks at him with his mouth left open.

“You just left your bond mark on my neck.” Zayn repeats quietly.

“And you allowed me because?” Harry pushes further, eyebrows rising slightly.

Zayn opens his mouth and closes it a couple of times, rolling his eyes afterwards and avoiding Harry’s eyes. “Because when you first knew I was an omega, you didn’t react like every alpha I’ve met,” and before Harry gets to ask about what they did, Zayn carries on, “and you kept pushing yourself into my life in times I hated you the most. But then you’re not reacting to my actions the way I expected you to, and it makes it hard for me to keep hating you even if all I wanted to do was push you away further.” He returns his gaze to Harry, something vulnerable and open in his big eyes, and Harry’s heart skips a beat, feeling his body being pulled towards Zayn by an invisible magnet, and Zayn allows him to, and Harry could see his long lashes fluttering close this time, could feel his hands softly placed on his chest, and Harry feels it this time, every second of it, how his lips brush over Zayn’s before he’s closing the distance between them. It’s soft and slow, but it doesn’t last long, this time, with no interruptions, when Harry leans his forehead on Zayn’s, the latter doesn’t pull away. “Are we gonna finish this?” Zayn whispers, “Cause I really want you to.”

Harry steals another kiss before pulling back and nodding, taking Zayn’s hand to lead them to the bedroom, and he stops when he’s at the edge of the bed, taking off his shirt quickly and throwing it on the floor aimlessly then pulling Zayn by his waist and kissing him again. He sits on the bed with Zayn on his lap, bringing him closer before trailing his lips to his jaw then his neck, and he knows that the thought of Zayn alone on his lap is making him hard, but his scent, although doesn’t send him off the edge, is making him throb painfully. He sucks on Zayn’s neck, just above to the bond mark and near his ear, and he hears Zayn moan, feels the hand at the back of his head tugging at his hair to let him know he likes that. Harry trails his hands slowly from Zayn’s knees up to his thighs, surprised but not really by the smooth skin beneath his touch, and he’s well aware of the fact that Zayn definitely feels his dick throbbing against his ass, but he needs something from Zayn, and he trails his lips to his chest, licking at his collarbones as his hands squeeze Zayn’s ass, feeling the arch of his back when he trails his hands there.

He brings his hands under Zayn’s thighs again and lifts him up to place him properly on the bed, kissing him on the lips as he unties the bathrobe and opens it, sitting up to get a better view, and oh god, Harry has to squeeze himself. He unbuttons his jeans for relief, pushing them down and onto the floor along with his shirt. Zayn isn’t halfway through what Harry feels though, and it’s new to Harry, to have an omega in his bed that doesn’t twist and beg for him. But Zayn is different, in every possible way, and Harry never thought he would like it as much. Zayn keeps the hand he has at the back of Harry’s head when he kisses down his abdomen, going lower to reach the inside of his thighs, and it’s so soft that drives Harry crazy with need, so he sucks at it, hearing the gasp leaving Zayn’s lips before he moans, head tilted backwards on the pillow, but his hand is keeping Harry there, biting at the red skin before he moans himself at the sudden smell that leaves Zayn, and he squeezes himself again as he pulls back, his gaze catching on Zayn’s hard dick and the slick leaving his hole.

Without a second thought, Harry spreads Zayn’s legs further, but Zayn pulls at his hair, enough to makes Harry retreat so he can sit up, and Harry sees the red tainting his cheeks and neck as he pulls him up, and Harry’s ready for the kiss when Zayn tilts his head and goes for his neck instead, and it takes a moment for Harry to process that he’s not kissing his neck. Zayn bites hard, and Harry winces slightly, feeling overwhelmed when Zayn pulls back, and it’s easy to read the confusion on Harry’s face that Zayn feels the need to explain.

“The mark you left on me makes you less affected by my scent, but not completely. You’re still able to lose control once you get over with it. The mark I leave on you allows you to feel my emotions, like I feel yours.” _For Harry not to lose control_ , he can get that much, leaning in to kiss Zayn softly. He doesn’t know why Zayn waited until now to leave his mark on him, but he feels the tension slowly leaving Zayn’s body as he trails his lips to his neck, hands spreading his legs again to get between them as Zayn lays back down on the bed. Harry raises Zayn’s hips slightly for a better access, licking at the slick outside his hole first, and he moans at the taste. If Harry’s giving his completely biased opinion that he’s sure many others would agree if they got the chance to taste it as well, it is by far the most delicious thing Harry had put into his mouth, and he’s greedy for more, so he uses his thumbs to spread Zayn further, finding it easy to do so with more slick dripping out of his hole, and Harry catches it with his tongue, pressing it inside and sucking at his hole that makes Zayn moan louder. That’s it, he’s in heaven.

Harry feels Zayn’s hips moving with every move his tongue makes, body producing more and more slick the longer he stays there. Zayn has both of his hands at the back of Harry’s head, and his moans break as his grip tightens, pushing Harry further, and Harry feels the stutter Zayn’s hips make and how he tightens around his tongue when he comes, keeping Harry there for a few more seconds licking inside of him before he’s whimpering, hands pulling at Harry’s hair for him to stop. Harry would admit, he doesn’t want to pull away, it’s so good to pull away now, but he gets a weird feeling at the pit of his stomach that makes him stop and pull away slowly. He places Zayn’s hips on the bed gently and looks up at his face, and somehow, Harry feels what Zayn feels, something close to tension and fear, but also relief, just like he explained, not powerful, but enough to make him know, and he offers a smile after wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, leaning in to kiss Zayn’s cheek softly. Apparently, he’s not the only one offering a sacrifice, and it swells Harry’s heart to know, even if Zayn doesn’t voice it out.

Harry finally removes his boxers, and his dick springs free once he does, and Zayn is already moisturized by his own slick, so it’s easy for Harry to spread his legs again and slide in between them, feeling the tight heat inside of Zayn. He moans as he slides deeper, and Zayn closes his eyes, his hands holding Harry’s biceps when he leans in to kiss his neck, and he bites his bottom lip when Harry bottoms out, adjusting his hips slightly before Harry gets to move. Harry finally gets to relieve himself, thrusting in and out of Zayn, seeing Zayn’s dick getting hard again. It would have been impossible for Harry to stop himself from thrusting harder if it wasn’t for the bond making him feel Zayn’s emotions, so he keeps his pace until Zayn is whimpering for more, nails scratching down Harry’s back for him to go harder, and Harry complies, adjusting his angle to get deeper, raising one of Zayn’s legs on his shoulder as he keeps his forearms on the bed, and it gets Zayn to moan beautifully, biting down on Harry’s lips when he kisses him, and Harry wonders if it excites Zayn more than racing, getting a hand on Zayn’s dick and enjoying the way he squeezes around him when Harry slides his thumb on the slit, wondering if Zayn would love him more than his bike. Harry’s hips snap forwards harder, hitting Zayn’s prostates, and he arches his back off the bed, nails digging into Harry’s flesh as he comes, and Harry follows right after with how Zayn squeezes him so hard, his knot forming, and he hears Zayn whimpering at the stretch. It doesn’t last long though, Zayn is not in heat, and soon it ends.

It feels good, the sensation is too good for Harry to not go for another round, and Zayn’s scent is strong, making him lust for it, but again, he pulls out slowly feeling Zayn’s emotions. Zayn pants on the bed with his eyes closed and Harry lays next to him, enjoying the moment where he just looks at Zayn, totally fucked out, chest heaving, and a beautiful red covering most of his body all because of him. He hopes he’s better than anyone who’s fucked Zayn before.

Zayn finally opens his eyes, turning his head to look at Harry who smiles at him, using his hand to brush Zayn’s hair backwards. He gets a smile back, genuine and open, and Harry would cherish this forever. And suddenly, he blinks at Zayn, a bright idea coming to his mind.

“I think I know how you can get your payback.”

Zayn gives him a confused look, breath somewhat even now, but before he gets a chance to speak, someone else beats him to it.

“So that’s why you’ve been disappearing on me.” Harry almost stumbles to cover himself, eyes wide as he looks at Ed who’s holding a spare key Harry gave him of his apartment. Zayn, still wearing the bathrobe, quickly covers himself too, avoiding Ed’s eyes as he coughs, both sitting on the bed, and Harry doesn’t really have an answer, pursing his lips together as he avoids Ed’s eyes too.

“Sorry,” Niall’s voice comes from behind Ed, an apology written on his face as he looks at Harry, “I really tried to stop him from coming here after you texted me.” He glances at Zayn, who also looks at him from behind Harry. Niall grins and winks at Harry. “Nice work, mate!”

Harry sighs and closes his eyes. Why are his friends like this?

///

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the final race of the tournament! The weather is marvelous today, and as you can see, all of the contestants are getting ready for a chance to win the championship!”

“All remaining contestants are on the line right now, and as we can see on the scoreboard, their previous records are gonna add to their score for this round. There’s a bit of gaps between some of them, but you can clearly see the improvement each has accomplished. The race is starting! And we can see contestant no.21 Liam Payne taking the lead on the green bike, making an impressive start. I must say, he’s been in the shadows for quite the time now, but he’s gotten better at controlling the speed of his bike. Contestant no.9 Harry Styles on the red bike is following right behind, and it’s a strange start for him considering the power starts he used to show during previous rounds.”

“The crowd is not wild today as it seems, with one biker down who seemed to rile them up, but oh! Would you look at that? It appears that there is another star on the track today! Styles and Payne seem to be getting very close at the corner! There’s a nice move from Styles as he hits the brakes before launching at full speed! It’s not something we’ve seen from him until now!”

“Did you see that?! Styles just made his bike jump at such high speed! I would have guessed he’d definitely fall after this one, but look! He’s leaving a huge gap between him and the rest of the contestants! That’s what I call skill! The others are trying to catch up with Payne on the lead, but I guess we already got a winner!”

“At first place! Harry Styles! Crossing the finishing line in a new record! The cup has a name on it, ladies and gentlemen. We’ll leave his team to celebrate this moment and be back soon!”

There’s a stage where the first three are being given their respective awards. A championship cup for the first with a golden medal, both with the winner’s name carved on it. One of the organizers of the tournament is handed the cup before he hands it to the winner, and the smile on his face falls once the helmet is off the rider.

“What- What is the meaning of this?!” He looks down at the cup in his hands, seeing the carved name ‘Zayn Malik’ instead, and he can easily link the name to the face standing in front of him, the crowd going silent for a second before whispers start to erupt.

“That I won fair and square?” Zayn cocks an eyebrow as he takes the cup from him, “See? It has my name on it.” The man looks at Zayn in shock, while back there, near the stairs, Louis stands with Charlotte with a smirk on his face. “You got your men to illegally disqualify me,” he raises the cup in his hand, “I got my men to put me back,” he offers a smirk of his own, and the man’s anger is present on his face as he tries to reach Zayn.

“Wouldn’t do that, man, if I were you.” Griff shakes his head at him, coming in between them.

“This is madness!” The man looks around him, “Where’s the security?!”

“Oh, about that,” Zayn tilts his head to the side, “I’m not sure if they’re on your side either tonight.” His gaze shifts across the track to where Harry’s team is located, and from there, Ed smiles at him with a thumbs up. “I’m sorry if it hurts your ego too much that I’m back and holding the grand prize. Seeing my kind excel at something yours can’t must hurt.”

“You don’t deserve to be here!” The man says through gritted teeth making Zayn frown.

“You’re free to test me for drugs or see my legal documents, or whatever it was that you disqualified me for,” he steps closer, “But you’ll never be able to come up with a reason that’s good enough to make me leave this track.” Zayn turns to his left, where Liam is standing, and the medals are placed inside their small containers. “There’s one that has my name on it there too. Guess the only mistake made was saying my name and number wrong during the race.” He shrugs, turning back to the organizer. “Despite what you think of us, we are capable of so much more. And today,” He raises the cup higher in the air, “I prove this to every fucking alpha who barely stood in my way!” He raises his voice. “I’m a male omega, and I earned my way till the end!”

Niall stands next to Ed with his phone in his hands, grinning so brightly when he checks the social media apps. “You’re gonna love this,” he says to Ed. There are more whispers among the crowd before they’re cheering for Zayn, descending from their seats and into the track, making it impossible for the organizers to handle the situation anymore without causing harm to their audience.

At the entrance though, behind all those people running, Harry takes off the hood of his shirt and the sunglasses he has on. He’s learned the hard way that he can’t really beat Zayn when it comes to racing, and it wouldn’t have changed a thing if Zayn still owned his bike and Harry was on that track. He’s thankful for owning friends that support his decisions, making him reach this far. And Harry’s happy, he has a smile on his face that he probably wouldn’t have if Zayn was off the competition.

He manages to find Zayn between all those people, and he sees a bright smile on his face when he stands in front of him, a cup in his hand while a medal is hanged around his neck.

“You’re on a winning streak, baby! Congratz! One loss doesn’t really count in your record.”

Zayn smiles, “I don’t count it as a loss.” Harry raises his brows and Zayn hums, “I gained you, didn’t I?”

“Damn,” Harry laughs, “Am I gonna hear more compliments than insults these days?”

“Just because I’m in a good mood,” Zayn grins at him, and Harry cups his face, leaning in for a kiss, not really caring about the crowd around them. It’s very unexpected though to hear some cheers.

“What’s next?”

Zayn looks up at him, a glint in his eyes that doesn’t compare to anything else, because Harry learned to not compare anything when it comes to Zayn, that everything he has is unique in its own way, and he takes what he can, feeling Zayn’s emotions almost bursting out of his body.

“Next, we’re going international!”


End file.
